I Am Knitting Myself a New Spine [draft]

In the warmth in the cold while the others grow old

I am knitting myself a new spine.

Cerberus

Clicks with curious lisps

As Hades projects his cool shine

 .

In the warmth in the cold where the shutters are bold

I am stitching my ribs up with twine

My mothers and mothers

And sisters and others

Rolled over to Zeus with their rings flashing gold

And begged that I stand for my crime.

 .

In my warmth in the cold where lovers sprout mold

Up my back I am marching a line

They’ve all gone away

Sent Dionysus to play

I sit him in a corner away from my work

To occupy himself with whine.

 .

In the frigid blue cold where my brothers were sold

I am knitting myself a new spine.

Bellona

The pot it’s

Stirring itself on the stove

So it seems

Getting its bottom licked by that blue flame

And makin something good to eat

For all the babies

Who’ve Velcroed themselves to her knees.

She holds a book far away from her

Down the length of her long, long arm

Squinting her big eyes and saying the words

On the page

To her knee-clustery litter.

Bellona

She has

The widest shoulders

I ever have seen

On a woman so tall

With such long hair

Curls down her back like it’s rapids

Water

Frozen, but still can move

You know what I mean?

Bellona teaches her babies about

Not letting the Pigeon drive the Bus

While something good bubbles

And someone small giggles.

I looked around some.

Not in anything private-looking, though

And I seen no man-stuff

Just boy stuff

Like baby shoes and teeny basketballs

And 3 or 4 or 5 telescopes

But no man-stuff

Just boy stuff

And star/space-stuff

No checks on the mail table, neither

Just her and her shoulders and her dark water hair.