Ode to Hannibal
I was scrolling – wallowing – through the Netflix abyss,
Avoiding Mister Darcys, Tall Dark and Handsomes.
I was seeking light viewing which would put my heart at ease.
Mister Right could go and burn beneath the heat of a thousand suns.
They called it Gore and Thriller, which captured that day’s mood.
Presented with that pallid face and the bore of flintstone eyes,
I knew that I would be indulged with an opposite Colin Firth
Who sliced up manic pixies, and stomped on love like rats.
There was no time for brutes who leisurely Snapped.
High on grizzle and ice cream, my worries were eclipsed.
Beneath this shadow, the savage certainty of death,
I was taken by the moth left between a corpse’s lips.
Hannibal. Hannibal.
My pulse double-timed.
Hannibal. Hannibal.
In a pit of my own.
Détente
The house feels less quiet than silent
when shouting has ceased.
I strain by the door.
Can’t make out a word
Just the familiar rise and fall
of mocking.
Incredulous screaming splutters
out and around –
tear gas.
I feel compelled to check on my brother
except that would mean trespassing through the hall.
At least he’s got his headphones ringing
Never mind the bollocks.
Flirtations
I knew I had fallen for one boring Mayo man
With a passion for business and trad music,
A future underwriter, a maybe-undertaker
‘I’m so sorry for your loss’ seemed pursed upon his lips.
He had a banker’s gait and that pay-up-front handshake.
I felt my heart clipped and witnessed my demise
Before the taxi’s arrival, when my nerve outlived me,
Was even tempted to mention that stable jobs
Are quite a turn-on, but his girlfriend intervened
And for that I can’t forgive her.
I’d liken her to Verruca Salt, bad egg nesting
In Daddy’s money, though perhaps a fraction demurer,
Taking her pick, pinkie wrapped round his
Joystick. Manipulative trout with a purse.
There’s nothing I wouldn’t give to gut her.
My old self can mourn me, the undertaker sweep her aside
Since I fell for a flirt who has buried me alive.
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- Three Poems by Katie O’Sullivan - July 29, 2021