I'm Sure I'll Hear About It

I’m not exactly sure what my friend, and famous LA poet, Laurel Ann Bogen would say; but, I know that when you’d try to offer an apology before reading your poem there was a general cry of, “No editorializing.” Or,   “No apologies.”  Obviously, in lieu of that comment let me offer my apology, and hereby explain that the following is a rant.  This, at least by my definition, means that it’s stream-of-consciousness.  I belong to a group of writers in Montclair, New Jersey called The Write Group.  On Saturdays we get together and write to three prompts, at 15 minutes a shot; meaning, we write for 15 minutes to each prompt.  It’s a great group of people.  We are all so different, though some are archetypal characters but it always makes for an enjoyable Saturday morning, especially when Denise brings her scrumptious baked goods. This prompt was: I’m sure I’ll hear about it.  In my last read through I’m not sure that title fits.  Maybe it should be something about love.  The main thing is that I post something to my blog and not spend so much time worrying about perfection, which by its very definition is impossible.

I’m Sure I’ll Hear About It

I love that you feel
you love me
even before you know me,
that happens a lot
it’s my affable nature that often gets me in trouble.
My chameleon personality
sheds its skin quickly
takes on the personality of the environment,
it’s not that I’m not truthful
it’s that there are all sorts of truths,
there’s my truth
your truth
his truth
the collective truth
there’s To Tell the Truth
hosted by Bill Cullen
with a panel of radio stars
faded B movies actors
and the last to be introduced
was always Kitty Carlisle,
I think she had a silent S in her name
I never understood, why use a
letter that isn’t pronounced?
That isn’t subtle.
Kitty was the last one introduced
because there’s something about her name
that allows you to easily say it with a flourish,
some names are like that
like when the public address announcer
at the Fabulous Forum
would announce Jabbar’s name after he made a basket
Basket by Kareem   Abdul   Jabbar!
Jabbar and Carlisle have the same rhythm;
you see I bleed
from one idea
melt into another idea
and step into the next one
and when I say something out of turn,
or annoying
it wasn’t me that said it
it’s that other guy
it’s one of my several personas
I’ve developed over the years.
There’s the one that’s affable
I can always seem affable
even when I’m really not,
that’s why sometimes
after I left the principal’s office,
wherein I was supposed to be the one being reprimanded
I’d easily turn the tables,
and as I was leaving the office
I knew that whatever administrator I’d been with
wouldn’t have realized I had just insulted them
for another few minutes after I had left.
It’s just my affable and polite way.
I got that politeness from my grandparents,
they’re Bermudian, more British than the British.
It takes a minute to realize you’ve been insulted if there’s a British accent attached
or that kind of formalism behind the remarks.
Besides, you might even think it was a compliment
for a moment.
So don’t think you love me
you might have just fallen for one of my many personas
But I’m sure I’ll hear about it.