Hungry Platitudes

Hey there...
you !!
with your 
Starbucks
and half eaten
Espresso bar
so casually thrown
into the 
trash.

Food and drink
still warm from 
your hands
still pink from 
chatting
in that
coffee shop
you frequent
each morning.

I saw you
turn your 
head
from me,
you wouldn’t 
even
meet my 
eyes.

Your father, 
no doubt,
told you
I was 
dangerous
because I 
hear voices
of 
Saints and 
Demons,
because 
the streets
are my 
friends,
because I can’t 
find
a safe place 
to piss,
to wash 
my face
or clean 
my ass.

Or perhaps 
you 
don’t like
the way 
I look
or how
I smell.

To hell with 
you!
I don’t really 
care!
What I 
care about
is that 
you
left me
some of 
your latte
and half eaten 
pastry
and
a paper 
to read
on top 
of the 
garbage.

And if I’m 
lucky
I’ll get a 
chance
to grab it
before
someone else 
does,
and
for a brief 
moment
feel like
I’m 
someone.

Someone 
like you.

© 2008 Querus Abuttu

The White Plate

"Does Daddy kiss you like 
he kisses me?"

The question 
exploded
as my bare toes
wiggled on
red linoleum.

Watching her
stop washing
that dish,
I wished
I coulda shoved
my stupid
stupid words
back
into my
stupid little 
lips
the moment
I said them.

I bit my mouth
till it bled 
salt
against my 
tongue.

The white plate
slipped from
her rubber 
fingers.

I watched it fall
like those
instant replays on 
football
slowly
deliberately
almost
suspended in time
till its milky face
smashed 
the floor
and 
shattered.

I heard
her loud steps
towards the 
living room
and her slaps
and curses
assailing my 
father.

But all I could see
was that
white plate
and
all I could 
feel
was like
I
should be
the one
picking up 
the pieces
before
someone got 
hurt.

Copyright © 2008 Querus Abuttu

"Phantasms"

Cold beads of sweat
Slicing the brow
Freezing lashes that fought against black.
What was that sound?
Shattered perceptions,
Of perfect deceptions
reflected in time.

Icy reality
biting the wrinkles
of folded tenacious pillows of grey.
Gasping for breath,
Wrenched to a whisper,
Sunlight fades away.

I'm blind
I see.

Copyright © 2008 Querus Abuttu