Problem Solving


you look like a dog
but this is a problem worth solving
problem-solving is an adult skill that i possess
your "snout" and your tiny eyes are a dog's
you're a dog without ears       who doesn't have ears?
everyone has ears          small-eyed dogs take a really
long time finding out
what space to walk in
on all fours
to walk on all fours       oh how i want to
follow the dog for some time
be jealous of its aching trot
be jealous of its       trot
i imagine myself walking on east 10th street toward the east river       on all fours
your streamlined walk
and how love is
a religion and running is a religion
the east river is the perfect place to dump a body
the cantors pour the wine into the glass
the eunuchs heave their phantom parts
it's safe to say that i have the most irritating phone
in the world      and that i was full of grace last night
diagnosed with twins at 59th street station
obsessive rants on      sky cleavage      butt cleavage       breast cleavage
the other night he couldn't see the hands in front of his face
and i have twins somewhere in my heart below my face
and who cares
you have a baby
and diagnose him
with taking care of you
sometimes i think of when i'm old
and sober when i'm making out
and making out is languid in the birth of sleep
your friend is a housewife
and perhaps even
is a pill problem
i make the same mistakes all the time
some of which
are fixed by technological advances
computers
your dog face is still a problem
but there are many types of dogs
some are quite fluffy and don't have dicks
all men are dogs i suppose
but you really look like one
i don't mean to be cute or sweet
adults still get into rifts
and fights
and need to return to center
their centers are achieved
by recharging a phone
i found a charger that did not belong today
but i couldn't find the russell edson book
that i took out of the library
but while looking for it
i found more potato chip crumbs
in my rug
than you'd think possible



Amy Lawless is the author of two books of poems, most recently My Dead (Octopus Books, 2013). She was a 2011 NYFA poetry fellow. She lives in Manhattan. More can be found at amylawless.blogspot.com.