climb a juniper, touch the sky

i walked past the lake
crying a river after the sunset
with your voice echoing
in between the crackling foliage

or was it the wind?

this is a pain unknown
the one you inflicted me
with hollow tales
just promises
your tried and dirty tricks

i could call you brute
names
tear away the pages
of that self help book you gave me
move out of town and wash away my sorrow

i could kill you in my dreams
cry not a river
but all the lakes
climb a juniper
touch the sky

come down
and torch your house
watch you burn
burn
burn

that would make me happy


beatrice kaplan (Pembroke, NH, 1985)