We dine on stars for breakfast
Have tea and scones for lunch
Then comes the darkness
And we
Swallow screams for dinner
She sits and thinks
What about supper
She asks
Mother says never to sleep
On an empty stomach
Warm milk
I reply
As pearly as the moon
And thick as daytime clouds
That sounds just right she says
And hops next to me
Nimbly
Full of youth
Just another day
One of us grows older
The other lives in an electric storm
Frozen
Not petrified
Or burnt
I would play my days differently
If I could
Erase the marks
Write a history
With happier things
We do not get a second chance
We cannot undo what is done
We can only try not to do it again
How curious she says
How very complicated
To be grown
Yes I think
As we drift off deep into
Buttermilk dreams.
I love the stars for breakfast and tea and scvones for lunch....then come the screams for dinner when it gets dark. LOVE the warm milk "pearly as the moon". Your imagery is so wonderful, Jae. I think our second chance is now to, as you say so wisely, "try not to do it again." Drifting to sleep on buttermilk dreams sounds lovely and peaceful. What a gorgeous poem.
ReplyDeleteI too love the stars for breakfast and the tea and scones for lunch, Jae! It’s poignant that Alice wonders about supper, is exuberant at the thought of warm milk, and curious about the complications of growing up, while the speaker wishes she could ‘Erase the marks / Write a history / With happier things’. At least they have buttermilk dreams.
ReplyDeleteI too love your imagery, particularly both descriptions of the milk. Peaceful sleeps are nice; may the dreams always be sweet.
ReplyDeleteFood is a soporific as it fills us up and suggests a rest afterwards. As for playing days differently it is always good to experiment with what you do and what you eat.
ReplyDeleteAnd another huge sigh of contentment from me ... you write such lovely poetry. A style all your own.
ReplyDeleteI really like that after all the chaos, there is sweet sleep.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first description of milk that's made it sound appealing. The tension of the simple and awesome in each meal and in the caregiver & cared made this sing.
ReplyDeleteYes, it IS very complicated to be grown up .. but we can always have our buttermilk dreams for escape!
ReplyDeleteI want to be there for breakfast and lunch! Thank heaven for the buttermilk dreams.
ReplyDelete"Warm milk I reply As pearly as the moon And thick as daytime clouds" Love, love, love that line!!
ReplyDeleteBeing grown up is hard sometimes to adjust. Often "no second chance." Love your ending today, we had all the buttermilk we could drink from the creamery that we sold cream to.
ReplyDeleteWondering here also, did you guys lose crops and trees because of the storm?
..
love those buttermilk dreams....
ReplyDelete"Stars for breakfast" i think that might put one to sleep after😊
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday
Much💝love
You are so dreamy, so original, so smooth. Your train of thought just captures me... LOVE LOVE LOVE.
ReplyDelete