Poems

Spontaneous Reaction

Carolyn walked hand-in-hand with her
blowup doll to Stockyard Days where
she paid a caricature artist to paint the
likings of officer Voeller’s features onto
its face for all the money she had left in
her pocket: a sum total of $16. 66,
with two cents being Canadian.

Talent Scouts

Mother on the go wears
gel insteps during tryouts
for glee club just before the
end of summer vacation so she
can spring into action at the drop
of a hat, note, octave, or cadence count.

Imitations Won’t Do

Moretta Meineke suggested to the school’s
dietician the idea of substituting tofu for bologna
by adding four drops of red food dye per chunk
before slicing paper thin. Bofu sandwiches
could be featured on Tuesdays throughout the year.

All Can Be Right

Ernest Revue and Major Barbara sailed
across Lake Superior during dog days
justifying the condition of the water’s
algae even at the deepest points.
“Take, drink–this water is for you,”
bellowed the clouds from above,
and Ernest,
never ceasing an opportunity,
bent overboard, cupped his hand
and fed himself superior spirits.

A Pheasant’s Determination

JJ Royster took up pheasant hunting
after inheriting Biff Swaank’s bow and arrow
when the fatality occurred leaving Biff nearly
unrecognizable on the railroad tracks east of the Mississippi.

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Suzanne Nielsen, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, teaches writing at Metropolitan State University. Her poetry, fiction and essays appear in literary journals nationally and internationally; some of these include The Comstock Review, The Copperfield Review, Mid-America Poetry Review, Foliate Oak, Identity Theory, The Pedestal, Word Riot and 580 Split.