Denise Dooley

Adda

We women empty weak mouths
loose our didnots to shrill
             all round Adda,
see we let go our blame-angel-bees
our soft little beats,
so we women say
             “adda she
             didnt never cheat
             Go to rust  fall to rest
             or go slothy, spill breasts
             leave the kids, leave the house
             or get mean.”

Sure we all saw her stand
see her center of room     Shaking
right off her head,      and
Reshaping the ache     of a
old pressboard dresser
drawers hanging all off
of it    open and straining
the sore sleeves and sore soles
not addressing the man that she boiled.

when she slammed it it broke
and the baby he spoke saying
              “i have a hoax, down gaping black hope”
Adda goes
right on rolling the vacuums
all mad at the room
which was missing the one that trioed their three
so the baby he moans
             only one infant word,
             he is screaming his “ran, ran,
             ran, ran.”

so we say,
             but that’s all,
             all she did,
             the poor thing,
so we sew,
             lancing holes,
             her excuse.

             O Adda That’s all – ah you’re
             angry, but oh –
             oh Adda, adapt, let it ride.

see how we know
see how we slide creaky gravy
wicker saucer chairs,
see us all look aside

and alight on his small face, bud eyes
We do bounce
the baby Bounce adda’s sad baby bounce
him as soft
as a charlie horse ticks in us
and we tock
to sad baby
             ah angel is Hurting? is your little ear hurting
as he
Passes his airfists over his ear plane


oh, now.
Ought our bats hang like teeth in their wing noise while
addle idle awful quarrel
frets and storms and blows? Oh now no, surely no.

             lets us bounce her and flicker all our twiggy tongues
             lets us Adda her over and over

return to SHAMPOO 36