“to be alone in winter is a thing to die of” -Puccini (La Boheme) by Paul Koniecki

veronica

and jesus came to
a workshop i was in
and said

we want to learn to
write poems like
beatrix kiddo

taking heads in
the house of
blue leaves

i replied
Snow
aisha

and muhammad came to
a workshop i was in
and said

we want to learn to
write poems like
harry calahan

swaggering boldly
in the shadow
of coit tower

i replied
Falling
parvati

and shiva came to
a workshop i was in
and said

we want to learn to
write poems like
harry angel

seducing epiphany
proudfoot in
the rain

i replied
In The Night
sylvia plath

and ted hughes came to
a workshop i was in
and said

we want to learn
to kiss you like
anton chigurh

the sound of
snow falling
in the night

i replied
Go
every poet must learn
to kiss death for themselves

Paul Koniecki is a poet, performer, and founder of Pandora’s Box Poetry Showcase in the greater Dallas area. His chapbook Reject Convention was published by Kleft Jaw Press in 2015 and his poems appear a variety of places including, Richard Bailey’s film, One Of The Rough – which was recently picked up by AVIFF Cannes.