Sugarloaf
In Sugarloaf, in the center of 102
acres, her twenty-three inch body
watched trees grow, saw streams
flow below the earth, heard wet
sugar dripping from branches where
whispering birds shot from waterfall
to pine.
A poem always has rape in it.
Incest.
Molestation crawling from the walls.
Anger scrawled in a dark place, in a poem.
When she turned, I didn’t answer her gurgle.
Her white skin, pasting her body together,
tightened as she smiled.
And I smiled. What is this?
Everyone needs peace.
Yes, from the fear in a hollow place, in a poem.
Her syrupy body glimmers in the daylight.
Her eyes glaze over as the fog creeps around
her cheeks whining red.
She licks my nose, nodding her football head
when I laugh.
Her small hands clasp my hair, ripping it.
I stare at her lightbulb body.
How could anyone not love her body?
How could any man love her body?
She is my baby, my daughter dripping
sweet from her mouth like sap from leaves.
Her eyes are blue-grey like the pewter sky.
I don’t doubt for a minute that she loves her life.
Her grandfather blasts Gatorade cans off fallen
logs where I spot deer tracks.
Her grandmother wipes her diamond chin
as white slop flows like a river.
Why can’t life be like the forest, she crinkles
her question, her forehead growing old
like her mother.
I flatten my face in the icy creek
that dries up in seconds. The trees fall.
Birds boomerang into oak trunks and crash
to the sad earth.
I am still mesmerized by her body,
its picturesque innocence dripping
sweet square sugarloaf, I almost cannot
hear the roar of the monster
eating the mountain
filled with rape, incest
molestation in the dark silent squirrel holes.
As a published author of poetry, short stories and newspaper articles, LisaAnn LoBasso is currently a traveling performance poet and an Artist-in-Residence for the Arts Council of Kern in Bakersfield, California. Her poems, short stories and articles have appeared in numerous literary publications, and she has served as Poetry and Arts Editor and producer for various literary publications. As a literary poet, she takes fine art poetry into higher performance expectations while incorporating elements of music and performance art. With nearly 15 years experience, she is still referred to as "the girl" and has been called a poetry minstrel by the Las Vegas Entertainment Weekly; her readings have been branded as sexy and provocative throughout the East and West coasts. Her other areas of specialization include photography and mixed media with additional literary arts elements. Beyond poetry, she is currently editing several of her novels and short stories and works as a freelance journalist for several publications. Born in California in 1970, she created songs to occupy her mind while traveling throughout the U.S. as a child. Her academic credentials include a BA. in Creative Writing, with a second emphasis in Photography; graduate work in Education; and an M.A. in Humanities, emphasis in Literature, which is currently near completion. Her current anthology of poetry, In the Swollen, features poetry that emphasizes her "Emovocative" writing method and her cover photography and design. Works soon to be released include BodyMine, a collection of photography and poetry centered on body image, and Oleander Milkshake, a poetry collection.
"In The Swollen is a look at life in this pus filled world, in the redness of womankind’s eyes. It is about a mother, a daughter, a wife, a friend, a virgin and a whore. Submerge yourself in the sensual, sticky realities that are one woman’s vivid fantasy of love and torture. Look in, but be careful not to get stuck too deep in the swollen."
Purchase her book "In The Swollen" from her website http://www.intheswollen.com/
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