elizabeth iannaci
ReaList
A single spaghetti is a spaghetto, a single macaroni is a
macarono, a single woman is “a drain on this country’s
resources”
Right now, there’s a woman somewhere walking two,
dogs, trying to reason with them. She’s making headway
Contrary to the going wisdom, dogs are NOT mercenaries
but will work for love
From era to era or decade to decade, the going wisdom
often doesn’t GO
Aristotle thought that rocks fell down instead of up
because they loved the ground
Einstein said that the reason we have time
is so everything doesn’t happen all at once
Physicists say there is still nothing new under the sun—
what appears to be unique is just a molecular reconfiguration
Crackers left on the charcuterie overnight become stale,
inedible. Cheese, left out, will harden and forget us
I told a twelve-year-old that there was a time when
suitcases didn’t have wheels. His response was Why?
Despite recent events, Civility is alive & well, but right
now, it wears a Groucho nose, moustache, & glasses
The exile of a break-up is a punishment
for putting all my eggs in someone else’s basket
Since 9 am, 2306 three-year-olds have put worms in their
mouths, while roughly 23 hundred adults managed to chew
& swallow them
Bad Signs
I should have known when he started listening to Hank Williams
when he mowed his yard all winter long
when he seemed relieved that I couldn’t go
when he hocked the camera I worked the whole summer to buy for him
I should have known when he told me to meet him at Baumanskaya metro
known when he said maybe I should read things that don’t upset me
when he was mean to me in my dream
when he asked me to say something in Canadian
known when all his tattoos were spider webs
when he asked if I wanted to get married anyway
when he confused crudités with crème brulée
I should have known when he mentioned the helicopter
when he asked me if I was feeling brave
when he blamed his whole life on his ex-wife
when he canceled our dental insurance
when he left me on the boat
when he put on that mask
I should have known when he bought me those rubber gloves
when he wouldn’t let me have a lamp on my side of the bed
when he told me that he wanted to meet in a public place
when he told me to go back to sleep
when he didn’t introduce me
I should have known when he was quiet for so long
when he said he wanted to rid my hair of all layers
when he and my sister bought the same Godawful hat
known when he brought up the term “absolute truth”
I should have known when he kept telling his cat that I was company
when he asked me if I trusted him
when he used my toothbrush to polish his shoes
Elizabeth Iannaci is a widely published SoCal poet whose work appeared recently in Does It Have Pockets, The San Diego Poetry Annual, Hole in the Head Review, Pratik and various publications. She earned her MFA in Poetry from VCFA, and is partially sighted, which may account for her preference to paisley over polka dots. Her most recent chapbook is The Virgin Turtle Light Show: Spring, 1968 from Latitude 34 Press.
