For Real We Tried It

" For Real We Tried It "

by Suzán Jiván

For real we tried it
as gentle as water
to the eyes...

Cat fights Close-Ups Clothes

" Cat Fights Close-Ups Clothes "

by Suzán Jiván

Cat fights
close-ups
clothes
oil-free
gel loads
shop
at Lancome
maybe
it's Maybelline
as the amazing
secret résumé
embraced
like arm candy
in graduation day...

Veined White

" Veined White "

by Suzán Jiván

Veined white
arctic alpine
fly high...

Blue Restricted

" Blue Restricted "

by Suzán Jiván

Blue restricted
bloodberry
green hairstreak...

The Buckeye Flies

" The Buckeye Flies "

by Suzán Jiván

The Buckeye flies
underside
a blue-centered
eyespot...

Shallow Coastal

" Shallow Coastal "

by Suzán Jiván

Shallow
coastal
over sand
dark bars
low oxygen
high salinity...

Maybe Some Bubbly

" Maybe Some Bubbly "

by Suzán Jiván

Maybe some bubbly
after catching up
and marching on
with poppies
for moms
after being poked
through buttonholes
then pinned on
to a dapper Don
in a sketch comedy...

The Drum Hit with a Certain Crispness

" The Drum Hit
with a Certain Crispness "

by Suzán Jiván

The drum hit with a certain crispness
as evinced by the reciprocal
complexity and risk of manipulative
gizmos unable to bring resiliency
like bone-dry reminders hissing
to mimic the singe of the apocalypse...

Patchy & Tremulous

" Patchy and Tremulous "

by Suzán Jiván

Patchy and tremulous
wavering midrange
like nicknames
on stationery
emblazoned
with surnames
of the flirtatious
receiving standing
ovations precipitated
by the highly praised
as unmistakably
straight-laced
hobbled offstage...

Seemingly Blithe

" Seemingly Blithe "

by Suzán Jiván

Seemingly blithe
Jiminy Cricket-like
with a diva of a wife
as flash and stridency
revisited again and again
like chilling aspects
memorably unsettling
pushed over the edge
where only the fog can tell...

Performing Nearby

" Performing Nearby "

by Suzán Jiván

Performing nearby
ticket buying
on opening night
distant and slight
aisles lined
with mistaken
identities
past their prime
attitudinizing
rack and ruin
in a new musical...

A Multiplatinum Past

" A Multiplatinum Past "

by Suzán Jiván

Time traveling revamped
as fancy footwork
into a multiplatinum past
of contemporary adages
wrestling merrily
with self-propelled
unarresting webs
overwhelmingly
backed by scrappy
factions of one-
time dancers
in podcasts
of graphic
detail...

Time Traveling Revamped

" Time Traveling Revamped "

by Suzán Jiván

Time traveling revamped
as fancy footwork
into a multiplatinum past
of contemporary adages
wrestling merrily
with self-propelled webs
overwhelmingly
backed as scrappy factions
of one-time dancers
in classic podcasts...

Be-gowned and Be-jeweled

" Be-gowned and Be-jeweled "

by Suzán Jiván

Be-gowned and be-jeweled
with frequent illusions
to making do and muddling through
on the perfect afternoon
while creaking as old houses do
as nothing new in little groups
while riding mechanized steeds
after collapsing into a heap
in an immolation scene
cycling into spring...

This Hinge Moment

" This Hinge Moment "

by Suzán Jiván

This hinge moment
narrowly cogent
opening low
with three trump
from the dummy
signaling for clubs
diamonds doubled
heart ruff
down one
runner up...

Scarce and Local

" Scarce and Local "

by Suzán Jiván

Scarce and local
little time
often soaring
broad wings
short tail
long note
near nest,
"yelp, yelp, yelp"
shaped like a hawk
feeds like a scavenger
on road-killed animals
black crest, black belly
pale areas scaled back
gathering mottling
weak harsh marmots
held horizontal
rusty orange
hollow carcass...

To the Canopy

" To the Canopy "

by Suzán Jiván

From ground
level
to the canopy
mimicking
the appearance
of bark
hump-backed
squat
pests of crops
foamy
toxic ground-
hopping
legs splayed
eggs laid...

Chokeberry

" Chokeberry "

by Suzán Jiván

Chokeberry
dogbane
soot-gray
to slate
grey-green egg...

Unknown Host

" Unknown Host "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Unknown host
parched open
gray ovals
near willows
spotted below

II

Ponderosa
pine zones
near oaks
alight on clover
tail below

III

Hold fast
ever last
stick close
sweet clover
buff below...

Like a Guise

" Like a Guise "

by Suzán Jiván

Often yellow
or checkered
in a fan frenzy
ran away to wed
with drive
and intensity
like a guise
of attendees
often wielding
sharply differing
inherent risks
in the millions
still plunging...

Scarcely Present

" Scarcely Present "

by Suzán Jiván

Scarcely present
as incidental
snatches of text
on two levels
like double-
barreled facets
of infatuation
with cancelation
dates as strains
of ballet
alternating
with anguish
sitting
for a painting...

Lantana Bottomlands

" Lantana Bottomlands "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Lantana bottomlands
vaguely patterned
blurry bands at random

II

Tailless subsequent
clustering intermingled
moister regions

III

Lightly greenish
underneath dingy
ivory slight triangle...

Flower Bed

" Flower Bed "

by Suzán Jiván

Flower bed
rootlet
cobweb
deep nest
forest ledge
shaded end...

Non-Retractile Tales

" Non-Retractile Tales "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Extremely polygynous
stiffening spindles
emphasizing thick
pink-tinged whitish lips

II

Batted with black
non-retractile tales
of savannas
and farmlands

III

Borne hereafter
seasonally elsewhere
as arboreal carnivores
with retractile claws...

On Hatching

" On Hatching "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Little grebe
in breeding
yellow gape
pale brown face

II

Soft rushes
weeds, algae
on hatching
riding on back...

Aquamarine Hairstreak

" Aquamarine Hairstreak "

by Suzán Jiván

Aquamarine hairstreak
forest clearing
exceedingly green
overwintering
inconspicuously
in a mottled chrysalis
as a marginal
part of wandering
possibly in litter similar
but duller and more abundant
than buds clinging to low leaves
bathed in sunbeams as sibling species

Locked in a Dangerous Brinkmanship

"Locked in a Dangerous Brinkmanship"

by Suzán Jiván

Locked in a dangerous brinkmanship
like the rift in ties shifting from trying
to reconcile to sabotage
once seen as unthinkable
cutting links to lineages
by subliminally undermining
sled-dog drivers much in the minds
of mushers lapping up the hunted...

Bluish Pinks of a Bird's Beak

" Bluish Pinks of a Bird's Beak "

by Suzán Jiván

Recurring themes
as depictions of deities
spelled out
in the bluish pinks of a bird's beak
preening green prairies
pale and sandy basins
spotted gray...

Recounting Staccato

" Recounting Staccato "

by Suzán Jiván

Fashion savvy
full length
moved away
concentrating
greatly acclaimed
recounting staccato
as unorthodoxy and banality
defined by an embrace sit, stay...

Seen as a Garnered Phenomenon

" Seen as aGarnered Phenomenon "

by Suzán Jiván

The changes are tectonic
like a mélanged harbinger
of the fashion conscious
seen as a garnered phenomenon...

A Hilly Lot as a Garden

" A Hilly Lot as a Garden "

by Suzán Jiván

I

A hilly lot as a garden
for rootstock
from a rooftop
with raindrops
collected at the car park

II

Accenting
a small plot
as a good spot
for a dwarf conifer
perfectly conical

III

No more
than a foot tall
along a matted walk
of glossy
mountain laurels...

A Ghost Bramble

" A Ghost Bramble "

by Suzán Jiván

Recently began
hard and fast
ill-prepared
for a ghost bramble
as an example
of past razzle-dazzle
tamped by ectoplasmic cares...

Mistletoe Coast to Coast

" Mistletoe Coast to Coast "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Common and widespread
sky-blue violet-grey
laying eggs

II

Prominent reddish orange
showy host oaks
mistletoe

III

Coast to coast
thornscrub pawpaw
far north white bordered...

Doubly Anomalous

" Doubly Anomalous "

by Suzán Jiván

Doubly anomalous
clarity and security
toggling among dozens
feeling hamstrung
by a drill instructor
offering blunt shrugs
meant to be funny
offering up a chuckle
that self destructs...

Can You Retool Yourself?

" Can You Retool Yourself? "

by Suzán Jiván

for Dr. Thomas Randall

Wounded
and wounding
now tethered
to a moral tale
as troubles
descend
rimless
with the universal question,
" Can you retool yourself? "

Wide Pied Wings Wandering

" Wide Pied Wings Wandering "

by Suzán Jiván

Long and short white bands
raised or lowered over nape
solitary bars and spots
low-pitched, " hoop-hoop "
wide pied wings wandering...

The Eerie Screeched with Cheers

" The Eerie Screeched with Cheers "

by Suzán Jiván

Few others reach a strained bonhomie
as one more believer observed secretly
looking at the real thing in keeping
with the eerie screeched with cheers
and a sinking feeling spat into being...

Out of Nowhere

" Out of Nowhere "

by Suzán Jiván

Mild elsewhere
totally unaware
out of nowhere
seemingly rare
built to withstand
a Tour de France
proceeding with plans
as the chief of staff
in charge of variables
reinforced by free-for-alls
in free-fall during so-called
swaying in a quake...

Implicatively Rubbed and Scrubbed

" Implicatively Rubbed and Scrubbed "

by Suzán Jiván

Lit by a gossipy wit with drifting type
like a homesick delivery
implicatively rubbed and scrubbed
as an affirmative, "ayuh"
after a fifth of fünf...

The Genesis of Heaven

" The Genesis of Heaven "

by Suzán Jiván

Blacklisted with onyx
in monoclinic
conchoidal carvings
Under priests' garments
as the Genesis of heaven
like a Black Panther firebrand
on a hopscotched diagram
Quickened by the incongruous
ideologues of standup comedy
waffling with corsets and garters
in a naughty romp...

Highly Distressed Flowerheads

" Highly Distressed Flowerheads "

by Suzán Jiván

Energized tension
without concession
as highly distressed
flowerheads
in search of respite
Growing low
to the ground
near the center
of gravity
like fingertips
on window sills
Firing on all cylinders
of pocketsized ivory
increasingly reliant
on the dicey
Yaying and hurraying
refusing to give way
to naysayers
as colorful stickpins
on festive grids...

Glued to the Roof

" Glued to the Roof "

by Suzán Jiván

Easily reared on bramble leaves
as slender species with narrow wings
and highly convincing bigger hindwings
shedding legs when seized
belonging to a single genus
with front feet against silk sheets
from other colonies
stiffened by bits of detritus
as symbiotic substances
pumped into the young
suitably intrusive as pre-chewed food
as eggs glued to the roof
tunneling through into the groups'
droppings like diffusible nutrients...

Remaining Cheerful and Unbothered

"Remaining Cheerful and Unbothered"

by Suzán Jiván

Objects between the strings
remaining cheerful and unbothered
by an Alice-in-Wonderland logic
consorting with streetwalkers
cultivating randomness and chance
with a much-liked man
mercifully attacking
avarice as satire
in remarriage
with a phalanx
of futuristic paintings
favoring their own
names as Salome...

Spanning Intensities

" Spanning Intensities "

by Suzán Jiván

I

With a highly
compressed sense
for the first time
anyone can remember

II

As might be expected
on wall texts
spanning intensities
as fleur de lis

III

Heading toward the amenities
and nicities of artists' colonies
in wheat-strewn topographies...

Nesting on a Ledge

" Nesting on a Ledge "

by Suzán Jiván

I

As a visitor
nesting
on a ledge
next
to a mining bee
buzzing

II

While crickets
roll leaves
into tropical
regions

III

With toughened forewings
where metamorphosis
is incomplete
needlelike

IV

In conspicuous
cylinders
laid singly
or in masses

V

Folded flat
in damp plants
along green grasslands...

Pimping with the Wee Perversity

" Pimping with the Wee Perversity "

by Suzán Jiván

Tucked away
long before
free streaming
like folklore
without a cause
as the all-important
excellently performed
in leotards and shorts
with male-female support
reinforced as scarcely the point
entangled in something more
than a genial grin put at risk
by bestowing a kiss
without a conscience
on a lutelike kora
tinged with a fiddle
and a pianist's plink
in full-length mink
while pimping
with the wee perversity
of underpinned forgiveness
hidden beneath a bearded chin...

Sequencing of a Girl's Pinky

" Sequencing of a Girl's Pinky "

by Suzán Jiván

I

Facing
an under-
handed
back-
stabbing
out-
of-balance
lack
of caring
as do
no harm

II

Like a toxically
misogynistic
gynecological
oncologist

III

Replete
with physicianally
prescribed
repugnant venoms
and repellents

III

Spirited away
as noxiously
obnoxious
prodigies

IV

Demonically plotting
a slow-burning drama
as an act of concision
like surgery with no frills

V

Promising
the quick
but sloppy
in robotic
shots of vodka

VI

The genetic
sequencing
of a girl's pinky

VII

Unleashing
archaic genes
as offspring

VIII

Likely vanishing
clearly gasping
as a polecat

IX

Packing
an anoxic
stink
as an anal
scent gland...