Household Poems

A poetry collection by Brett Sullivan Santry

"Low on my ribs in a place that hurts"

Is where your arms want to be

If you hug me.

The doctor told me it’s benign.

I don’t wince just because you show me affection.

Not for medical reasons, anyway. ▲

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"My ginger allergy"

Is the source of much amusement to others

But when I was a child they called me

A redhead and warned me to watch my temper ▲

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"Poem of Strength"

People are often surprised that I am strong;

Not that I can handle rejection

Or remain calm in a crisis

Or manage my grief in a healthy manner

Or inspire others to follow my lead

Or adhere to a strict code of ethics

Or resist temptation

Or persist against all odds

Or follow my dreams come what may

Or make the difficult choice

Or sacrifice my comfort for the common good

Or quietly and diligently provide for my family

Or defend my home, my good name, or my honor

But rather that I can lift heavy objects.

I am often pleased when I can spell ‘surprised’ correctly. ▲

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"Baseball Poem"

Why is the sky blue?

So you can track a fly ball against it. ▲

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"Poetry of Our Times ed. Turner, 1926"

In an old book of poetry,

I find that someone has added

In pencil, before the title of the poem called “Dream,”

On page 365, the words

was

it

a

This happened a long time ago.

And the book smells delicious. ▲

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"I could have shown more love this week"

I could have hugged you tighter,

Held hands longer,

Kissed more deeply,

Wrote better love notes,

Picked wildflowers,

Pretended to enjoy the

microwaved pork tenderloin

you served for dinner Monday night.

We did enjoy the applesauce:

sweet, golden, and spiced with cinnamon. ▲

Brett Sullivan Santry is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native. He holds MFA and MLitt degrees from Mary Baldwin University’s Shakespeare in Performance program in Staunton, VA, as well as a BA in Playwriting and Directing from Goddard College, in Plainfield, VT. His most cherished honorifics, however, are those of father to Ivy and husband to Holly.