Things That Strike You Suddenly
—for Alex M. Frankel
obfuscatingly
then—woop!—up on my shoulder
20 acupuncture points simultaneously activated
by an unskilled, unsteady but determined practitioner
the worst part is persuading the cat to exit gracefully
i remember words that are on the tips of other people's tongues
not "dichotomy"—"paradox"
a poet's water can break anywhere
—while late to work in heavy traffic
—interrupting the polite post-orgasmic silence
as inappropriate yet compelling as a ringing cellphone
i hear that birth pangs can be eased with a vibrator
i could try it
however, i'm getting a buzz off the friction
from each leg of the poem as it pops out
and anticipating how good this baby's gonna look