Tuesday poem #176 : Montana Ray : Oulipoing the fuck out of your e-mail to the class listserv

It seems as if the, for lack of a better word, good kids, those who don't

need to be beaten with a large long-handled spoon or The Norton

Anthology of English Literature, are penalized, while those who should 

be attendants in a hotel performing services such as carrying guests' luggage go sans consequences their merry way along what is euphemistically called the learning process.

It seems as if the, for lack of a better word, good gals and boys, who are also very down to earth, who patter through their days as water flows or falls with a gentle repetitive noise, are penalized, while those who act like

aggressive nations engaged in war go along their merry way armed with

pencils and staplers, etc., not designed but used for inflicting bodily harm.

It seems as if the, for lack of a better word, good girls, of the stock who spunkily wore pants to mount the first bicycles in realms where their fathers held the deeds to their mothers' plots of land and pieces of sea, are penalized, while those who are misbehaving go along their merry way like weasels who may look cute and cuddly, but trust me: you don't want to get too close to those little beasts let alone offer them comfort in times of grief or disappointment.

Montana Ray is a feminist poet, translator, and scholar. The author of five chapbooks and artist books, (GUNS & BUTTER) her first full length collection of poetry is available from Argos Books. Ray is a PhD student in comparative literature at Columbia University & the mom of Pokémon enthusiast, Amadeus. www.montanaray.com

the Tuesday poem is curated by rob mclennan