A Selection of Short Poems

By Renee Carter Hall

NATURAL HABITAT

one day I am going to find
the place all my thoughts come from

and I am going to go there

and see if they make any more sense
in their natural habitat

STILL LIFE

If we had kids,
we'd never get this
life back.
That's a given.
But even being domestic
changes you,
trading dinner dates for
dishwashing--
It's hard to chase
the setting sun to the horizon
with frozen dinners
in the trunk.

HIPPO

The river queen on her rocky throne
has an entourage of fish
daintily nibbling at the crevices between bulges,
perfecting her toilette in the deep.
She takes no note of her ladies-in-waiting
until she shakes them off and rises for a breath.

SATURDAY MATINEE

As the end credits roll,
I kiss him gently
with lips still a little salty from the popcorn,
then ask him
do you know
why I like to kiss you after movies?
He glances at me
like it's a riddle, says no
and so I reply
well,
because it always helps a picture
to have a romantic ending.

Copyright 2001