3 Doomy Poems                                                                                  Jonathan Moody

DOOMY PONTIFICATES ON THE MEANING
BEHIND A KISS, THE WHISPER IN THE BRAIN

A kiss on the forearm
asks, How was your day? 

A kiss on the elbow
twirls you around

in your black & white
asymmetrical dress.

A kiss on the chin
pops off white

wine bottle corks.
A kiss on the ear

makes you strut in suede
knee-high boots.

The first kiss on the neck
kicks out my roommate;

the second one slides
your dress down

to your festive feet.
A kiss on the shoulder

screens Tommy’s
incoming calls.

A kiss on the stomach
puts my television

on mute. A kiss
on the eyelids

means you’ll see
me in your dreams.

The whisper
in your brain trains

you to never mention
my name out loud

while you’re
talking in your sleep. 

HEARTBREAK DONE GOT DOOMY’S WIRES CROSSED

for Furry Lewis

My coffee tastes like tea, & my beer tastes like wine.
Said my coffee tastes like tea & my beer like wine.
Doc said, “Drink eight glasses of oil & you’ll feel fine.”

IRINA WANTS TO BE ADORED

I prefer stone roses. The firmness
of dove wings pressing
between my thighs.

These lavender legs
of mine don’t miss Tommy’s
touch because Doomy

massages them with his eyes:
head, cocked at an impossible
angle; his grin, revealing

a scented-candle hidden
inside. His tongue,
tough enough to strike
against wick,

but with a deep sigh
he extinguishes
the spark.

That’s Doomy alright,
romantically anti-pagan:
too sweet to sacrifice
the body of our friendship.

Jonathan Moody received his MFA in Poetry from the University of Pittsburgh & is a Cave Canem alum. His first book, The Doomy Poems (Six Gallery Press), was released in March 2012. He lives in Fresno, TX & is working on a sequel to The Doomy Poems.