Ms. Schadenfreude on the Straight and Narrow
There was a line she never thought she’d cross,
but then she did, and found another line—
border or perimeter? Or possibility? Line drawn
in sand? Fine line between she’d often heard about?
Now here she was—on the other side of whatever
it was—this line she never thought she’d cross,
but somehow had. The grass did not look greener, and
the limits of the sky appeared to end at the horizon, as before,
though that, she knew, was sheer illusion, her own eyes
being tricked into seeing a seam joining land and sky.
That line is one she’s sure she’ll never cross, as it will continue
to recede, elude all her approaches, though she will approach,
drawn toward whatever forward seems to promise. She may never
leave the past behind, and can’t imagine a future without herself in it.
Maybe, she thinks, there’s some hope for me yet. Some place I’ll fit,
some line that I’ll know when I’ve crossed it means I’ve won.
Ms. Schadenfreude Meets Mrs. Wouldn’t Say Shit If Her Mouth Was Full of It
Everything, she says, is just lovely.
Everyone she meets is a delight.
She is constantly blessing their hearts
and counting her blessings,
though Ms. S can’t help noticing
that her lips always look a bit tight.
–
Grace Bauer has published five books of poems—most recently, MEAN/TIME (U of New Mexico Press) and a 20th anniversary re-issue of The Women At The Well (SFASU Press). She is also co-editor of the anthology Nasty Women Poets: An Unapologetic Anthology of Subversive Verse. Her collection Unholy Heart: New & Selected Poems is forthcoming from the University of Nebraska Press.