Angelo Verga has been widely published, translated, and anthologized. A former owner of, also longtime literary curator at The Cornelia Street Cafe, Verga has helped to promote poetry as a popular and much-needed art form. His seventh book of poems is Long & Short, including The Street in Your Head (2016) and is available on Amazon. ---------
At the Banquet
Muse is the center of attention
She sings in her famous language
Women unburden their souls
Men young and old are dazzled
She twirls hands over her head,
Does classic dance kicks
She whispers dreams into waiting ears
She & I eat from each other’s hands
We drink from one unending wine glass
She leans into me, “I so love gatherings,”
She says, her eyes shining into mine,
Bliss. A female who visits
Asks if we are wed or friends
Neither of us answer, then both
Of us laugh together. I find words first.
“Today, now, we are friends.
Why burden love with marriage?”
Form and Content
Muse is a proper girl:
She believes form & content
Must be married and self-assured.
I buy her 4 engagement rings
Platinum bands, diamond chips.
The formalities must be observed.
Poets are supposed to suffer,
For her and for art, the blessings she imparts.
Precious metals are at a 25-year high:
She’s awed but confounded.
"What’s going on?" She smiles,
"Four rings and they’re all posh!"
“This way when you throw one back at me
I’ll still have 3 more tries for your heart.”
For now, her smile’s genuine,
Her high-born sense of correctness served.
She’s thrilled as I kneel before her.
She is a woman as well as a god:
She can be held but at a great price.
Innocence
I am an innocent customer she says
It’s not my fault your sales ringer rang
Up the wrong thing. I bought two of everything
And was disappointed twice. Since the purchase
Your prices have changed; I want to receive
A discount retroactively on all sales.
There was a defect in the sizing and also the price.
I didn’t have time to try anything on.
It fit me before I become more voluptuous.
What kind of manager can’t change the price?
I’ve wasted 15 minutes of my time.
"Honey this man doesn’t understand me;
Could you please rearrange his mind?"
I’ll never shop here again if
I get everything I want now.