American Ghost Roses

Ghosts

52 Ghosts My฀friend,฀referring฀to฀himself฀in฀third฀person, claims฀another฀guy฀writes฀his฀poems,฀though most฀times฀he’s฀the฀other฀guy.฀Knowing฀the฀self is฀thus฀a฀trick฀of฀purchase฀as฀costly฀as฀my฀new฀boots, and฀there’s฀only฀blisters฀to฀say฀about฀that.฀ Experience฀shows฀people฀get฀blisters from฀the฀ill-fitted฀or฀from฀hard฀work, but฀some฀work฀that’s฀hard฀is฀also฀ill-fitting. Have฀you฀ever฀graded฀thirty-two฀freshman฀essays? Perhaps฀one฀needs฀a฀ghostwriter฀to฀be฀short-listed, a฀name฀upon฀the฀tongue.฀Have฀I฀mentioned฀my฀new฀boots? It’s฀an฀attention฀problem฀really.฀In฀that฀regard, its฀twin฀pleasures฀mimic฀chocolate฀mint฀and฀good฀sex— the฀one฀makes฀you฀fat,฀which฀you฀better฀not฀get if฀you฀want฀any฀of฀the฀other.฀When฀there’s฀static on฀the฀car฀radio,฀hearing฀every฀third฀word makes฀Rush฀make฀sense,฀a฀tactic฀surrealists฀use to฀decode฀the฀infinite฀metanarrative, though฀it฀always฀ends฀with฀the฀Frisbee in฀a฀cat’s฀mouth.฀Touch฀it,฀and฀you’ll฀get฀bit. My฀friend฀says,฀“Never฀bite฀the฀hand฀that฀needs฀you,” or฀is฀it,฀“Never฀kiss฀a฀gift-horse”?฀Pay฀attention! My฀daughter’s฀bay฀mare฀won฀National฀Top฀Ten, so฀any฀day฀she’ll฀demand฀a฀ghost฀rider for฀her฀sore฀back.฀“Pay฀attention,”฀she฀whinnies, snuffling฀her฀ribbons฀and฀roses฀to฀remind฀herself who฀she฀is.฀In฀this฀way฀her฀need฀bewilders as฀does฀mine฀each฀morning—a฀ghost 53 wavering฀in฀the฀bathroom’s฀foggy฀mirror, this฀intimate฀stranger.฀Who,฀me?฀Pronouns are฀so฀transparent฀everyone฀sees฀through฀them, and฀there’s฀all฀that฀chain฀jangling฀anyway. ‘Fess฀up.฀I฀is฀a฀spook,฀a฀floating฀apparition, the฀invisible฀Frisbee฀in฀a฀cat’s฀mouth. Drop,฀one฀commands,฀but฀cats฀never฀listen. ...