Author: L. Stevens

Playing Your Bones: Three Versions of One Poem

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I often scroll through Pinterest for inspiration while working on my poetry. During one search for new ideas, the above image caught my attention immediately, and the phrase “play your bones like a xylophone” popped into my head. Determined to use it in a poem, I tried it out in a quick senryu: Senryu 55 tonight I will dream about playing your bones like a xylophone I liked it, but it felt a little incomplete. I decided to try it in an elfchen next. Bone Xylophone I’m dreaming about playing your bones like a xylophone tonight feverishly I liked this version better, but since I was having fun experimenting, I wrote a third poem in the form of a triolet. Playing your bones tonight I’m dreaming about playing your bones like a xylophone your vertebrae jingling tonight I’m dreaming diabolically scheming carving your tombstone tonight I’m dreaming about playing your bones like a xylophone So far this version is my favorite, but I’m curious to see how many more I can come up with using …

Melon From Outer Space

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I may be exaggerating slightly, since melon is actually only from India. The karela, or Indian bitter melon, is usually served fried, mashed with potatoes, stuffed, or as part of a curry or soup. When I first saw this mound of frilly, green vegetables in a Korean grocery store, I thought they were straight out of a sci- fi movie prop department.

Two Familiar Coins

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Last Friday I wandered into the Panera after a long week and a busy day to finally eat lunch at 2:00. As a trudged over to the shelf to grab my bagged sandwich, I heard a familiar song drifting through the restaurant, Dispatch’s Two Coins. A wave of nostalgia washed over me as I slid into a vacant booth. Dispatch was a popular indie band when I was in college, and I have many memories of studying, parties, beach days, and bonfires with their music playing in the background. I even attended their huge reunion show at the Hatch Shell in Boston. Funnily enough, my future husband went to that concert as well. We wouldn’t meet until later though, and it would be years before we realized we were both there.