Three Poems

by Beau Boudreaux

Camille

 

A thunderstorm takes my power

a quick whip of a mistresses’ gown

my mood

a sunken ship

what’s written on the screen

stolen away

run from my memory

rinses paint from a brush…

wish I had a generator

thinking about what’s in the freezer

venison, crawfish bisque,

Rocky Road

and about saving a beer

from the clutch of warmth.

Coupon

Instead of writing poetry

I’m printing out a 25% off
coupon from CVS

made a list, convinced

of sudden I need Gilette’s Fusion razors
and the new cologne.

Pulling in late to beat traffic

forgot my hat, coat, list
but am too smart

at this hour

I should be fast asleep
and so should Karen

working the cash register,

asks for my card
not why a guy buys

Quilted Northern, Doritos Cool Ranch
a Mr. Goodbar, and a fifth of Jack
for his ride home.

Love Poem

For the first time

I am in love with no one.

No phone calls, texts

late night or early morning doorbell

I read late, sleep and dream

choose to not remember…

lost like a runner

not knowing the distance, the course

capsized in the depths of the Pacific

treading water

and I drive sylvan streets slowly

listening to college radio

feed and take the beagle around

nod to the neighborhood…

a teen-age girl in twilight

toes in the lake at the edge of the pier.

 

Bio: Beau Boudreaux teaches English in Continuing Studies at Tulane University in New Orleans. His first book, Running Red, Running Redder, was published in the spring of 2012 by Cherry Grove Collections.