The All-in-One Opera
Four men are at a table playing cards,
an argument breaks out between two of them,
then suddenly one draws a
pistol and shoots
the other, who is his cousin,
who’s betrothed to the killer’s sister,
who’s in love with her betrothed,
the body of the murdered
cousin is brought to
the village where she lives
upon seeing the body she takes a knife
and kills her brother who is sobbing,
she is then seized with
remorse and swears
to live a blameless life
and enters a nunnery, but she’s pregnant,
months later she gives up the child,
who’s raised by his
grandmother, and
grows up trying to reach his mother,
but unaware she’s changed her name
to Sister Stromboli of the Vespers.
And that’s what happens in the first act.
Why I Hate Board Games
You are a color, an animal, a flower,
a model of a car or a number between
one and twenty-one, don’t tell anyone,
the only relief I get from all this
is finding out I don’t have to get down
on the floor, throw dice, or spin
a wheel where I lose my pants.
I know the famous hated American
I have to guess and it’s not Aaron Burr
though that’s not a bad guess.
And there’s that lucky card that’s
always eluded me, where if you get
it the world is your oyster and you
can tell everyone including your
grandmother to off themselves.
To All the Delivery Men
To all those who’ve struggled through traffic
who’ve soldiered on through rain and sleet
who’ve had to make deliveries after midnight
who’ve suffered the no tip customer,
or the indignity of the angry customer
criticizing you for a late delivery
without reason or justification,
or those who’ve had their bikes stolen
to those who’ve arrived home
to a frustrated mate or a crying baby, or both
or neither, except a dog or cat to attend
to their woes, who still had to be fed
or arrive home to no one,
no one to applaud their effort.
To all of you, I salute you.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Gene Goldfarb lives in New York City, where he ponders, love, hate, mortality He loves movies, books, travel, and international cuisine. His poetry has appeared in the small press including: Black Fox, The Daily Drunk, The Gorko Gazette, Rat’s Ass Review, Bullshit Lit, and elsewhere.
Image generated on Magic Studio
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