March 21st, 1978 7:15 p.m . poetry by Michael F. Nyiri

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"Lonlivision"

an experiment in imagisistic poetry 1st cathy poem

Kisses
    blank
four or five walls now who's counting
up against the corner my back resting in
a large broken chair
watching TV reading Calendar
        Where to go
            What to do
        nothing
    wishing that, man, do I wish I had my 
  car running and then I can go up to Rosemead
and visit all my old buddies an ---
        Ruth sends a card
            "Still waiting to hear from you"
    Will she ever, I wonder - images in black
and white trasform the television screen
into a playground of dots and lines
        endlessly moving
            a knock
it's on somebody else's door.

Kisses
blank
unknown for what is it now - months
            years
I remember Ruth and I at our last visit
        How serene
        How austere
        How boring
No -- shouldn't say that, I enjoyed it

I didn't, scratch that, I don't know what
had become of us (cliche), It was over
(2 years my God) and I don't know why
did I call her. Did I want to get
back together. Did I want sex. Or --
did I feel sorry for our breakup.
        That's it.
    I wrote her it shouldn't have happened
    It was my fault.

Kisses
Anymore?
        Lord, did I botch it up?
    Will anyone ever think of
            me
                as
                    a 
                        lover
                            again?

Feeling sorry.
What a foolish past-time.
The poems are supposed to be happy.
But (he asks again) will I ever be?


copyright 2001 Michael F. Nyiri