Onset

In this place little ease
except I have space to pace,
like a footbound woman
within the encircling arms
of an old husband.

A whisky-and-gin-filled
Wurlitzer glass harmonica
sets my teeth to vibrating,
blurs my air like gasoline.

Some decaying corpse’s
rich juicy swamp gas
treats me to a room-visiting
will o’ the wisp
dressed in never-before-seen
glossy bruises.

In the middle of taser shock,
laden with iron and nonstop decibels,
I befriend phantoms in my witches’ sleep,
close my fingers around a muted leper’s bell

But I can wait until the current fails,
and the pills run out,
in silence or howling wake my soul
until the chains fall off,
scream through gags
until the walls come down,

until not one stone is left standing

and I go free to hallelujah.

Christmas Eve at Midnight

At midnight on Christmas Eve,
you go down to the corner bar for the miracle.

This is the hour the drunks talk.

Bums with bristly chins,
women with blurry lipstick,
they look like your mom and dad
but for this one blessed hour,
you’ll speak the same language.

You drink your first one at the bar
while you gather up courage,
think about your questions.

Why don’t my kids come around?
When did the United States stop caring?
Why does God let stuff happen?
Did you love me?

You buy an offering,
and start over to their table
sticky with glass rings and acrid with butts.

But then somehow it’s one o’clock.
The bartender calls over
next round’s on me, guys,
it’s Christmas already.
And as they lift their glasses in thanks,
you realize they’re laughing and talking,
but the sounds break over you
like the night noises of animals
and you don’t understand a word they're saying.

Tree Riesener has published poetry and short fiction in numerous literary magazines. Her achievements include three first prizes for the Short-Short Story and the Literary Short Story at the Philadelphia Writers Conference, Finalist for Black Lawrence Press's Hudson Prize, Finalist in PANK magazine's Fiction Chapbook Contest, Semi-Finalist in the Pablo Neruda Competition, three short stories staged in the Writing Aloud productions of InterAct Theatre, Philadelphia, a Hawthornden International Writing Fellowship, two Pushcart nominations, and the William Van Wert Fiction Award. She is the author of three poetry collections, Inscapes, Angel Poison and Liminalog. Visit her Web site and her blog.