shark sail sale

.

afraid of sharks
“another one bites the dust”
will not go in ocean

Crystal from jamaica
wanting to braid my hair
flew in with lizard

if you braid shark’s hair
he will never bite your hand
but he can’t pay cash

thirty m.p.h.
all the smokers have left
“everybody cut loose”

two men running dive
jumping into each other
one wears miner’s cap

they must think this fun
appears a little painful
replay many times

alcohol involved
everyday ordinary
you can make the call

turning up volume
people run away from wind
delightful cool breeze

“get in the house”
music telling the smokers
to go inside like me

cool but they’re singing
“hot stuff baby this evening”
” hot hot hot hot stuff”

someday i will ask
if they know what century
this is “kokomo”

we’ll “sail off to sea”
whenever music stops
“defying gravity”

6/20
.

what i learned ,in the last few days :

1a. my maternal grandfather was a major sephardic jewish family of the ottoman empire

1b. mr. mishuginah is still enjoying popping his bubble wrap, fifteen years later

2.i was thinking about my mother-in-law and found out she had died exactly 7 days earlier, at age 91. they said she would not live long because of muscular dystrophy & she outlived everyone.

3.i knew both of my grandfathers were named morris, but i didn’t know both of my grandmothers had the same birthday as one of their daughters.

4. i learned the census taker in 1930 was drunk, because he spelled everyone’s name wrong: my father, uncle , mother,aunts…i know they spelled last names however they felt like , when your grandparents came to this country, but this is their first name & thirty years later.

.

from Iran to my aunt’s house

.

they left their money
everything they ever owned
south carolina

allowed to leave Iran
this was the only way
he was a doctor

beautiful couple
he died from a heart attack
didn’t understand

he wasn’t heavy
the doctor was very young
at my synagogue

many years later
she offered to drive me back
greenville to charleston

three hours each way
but first we went to her house
guess who’s house it was

it was my aunt’s house
she bought houses and fixed them
it was beautiful

when i was little
until the year before this
my father would laugh

you should be careful
how you look at anything
because it would break

having old white stove
probably like the waltons
the last century

i had no idea
we were going to my aunt’s home
moved to virginia

it wasn’t like
my aunt couldn’t afford new things
daddy would buy them

two of his sisters
he took care of everyone
they lost their husband’s

before i was born
both of her sons are doctors
stock my father bought

my second aunt
who doesn’t believe in progress
they’re set in their ways

one hundred eighty miles
inviting her to stay
she had to go home

.

sukkah at sea

.

never saw a shell
swimming backwards to the sea
then three claws stretch out

carrying a conch
do crabs build sukkahs
we know they shoot fireworks

two holiday days
yesterday bottle rocket
and now red sparklers

black hawk up
circles over parting hair
unless wigs are glued tightly

either this is
a war movie or someone
is learning how to fly

zig zagging changing
directions to and fro
next red helicopter

where do you go
friday night with your boyfriend
when you are seventy

to the ferris wheel
this is what she tells me
these kids are so with it

halfway there
mr. mullet is dancing
shih tzu is kissing his toe

.

fruit of the vine color test line

pineapple palm tree
you are sculpted perfectly
juicy pineapple

lasso strength hanging
bananas, yellow apples
from your green lulav

already fashioned
needing only fruit and wine
drunken underneath

always a drum beating
expecting betty white
in the proposal

obliging blackbird
shooed away by man in blue
boomerangs again

mr. mullet
“is not holding his mouth right”
not catching any fish

saying it’s too hot
blaming me for the rough waves
using green test line

younger friend has red
should be the law so you don’t
end up like marie

the only thing
mr. mullet caught the first day
was sun poisoning

interrupting chirping
adorable many
five mini three feet

.

united arab emirates din-din

.

brigadier general
please join me for dinner
i have a boyfriend

usual answer
was not going to work here
only jewish men

he gave me his card
with a million phone digits
telling me please call

come to my country
picturing queen esther
or kidnapped forever

thinking this funny
male jewish friend said
that i should have gone with him

a twenty course meal
can’t miss wonderful dinner
“i can buy my own”

if i can’t go
to dinner with you how can
i come to your country

.

medley of saltwater after the musical

“one love one heart
let’s get together and feel alright
somebody sing”

“you are the best thing
that ever happened to me
want to talk to you”

“it’s not unusual”
to be sad by anyone
to see me cry

may you be tortured
every second of your life
mentally ISIL

may you forever sleep
in the city that never sleeps
by our hand

“i’m coming up
i want to let you know”
america is ready

evil will be dead
you will not destroy N Y
it will destroy you

“clap along if you feel
happiness is the truth”
you’ll receive justice

Foley and Sotloff
murders before mount sinjar
every christian soul

Sotloff was jewish
was afraid to see if true
knew they would murder

after evil ones
found his friend had deleted
religion online

so the unislamic state
would not find out they had
a jewish man

automatic death
he celebrated holidays
under torment

no one saved him
or Foley or all the Christians
evil always wins

9/2

:

on 9/24 the U N security council stated “the unislamic not a state”. i wish i had thought of that , now i should go back & change all the poems , i haven’t published. i’ve been saying the unislamic state. but, then wouldn’t we have to go back & change every country in the world.