Catherine Wald

BETTER CALL YAHWEH

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Thomas Pluck reads "Better Call Yahweh":



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Cathy confesses: "I’ve been reading a lot of detective novels lately, and it struck me that many of the noir private investigators have God-like attitudes and personas. From there, it was an easy leap to 'God, P.I.'"

CATHERINE WALD is an Amherst Writers & Artists-certified workshop leader with more than twenty years experience. Visit her website, www.catherinewald.com, to learn more.

Catherine Wald

BITE

Teeth, even of largish dogs
can be so small they leave no trace
on the warp and woof of flimsy slacks–
just a tiny purple emblem like a
fleur-de-lis on the inner calf,

proving that plush purveyors of adoration aren't
perfect; they have rough edges, jaws, incisors.
On occasion they flash back to their
wolfish ancestry and can't resist
taking a nip at raw flesh.

In a world where species comingle in unnatural ways
where love’s bartered for food, warmth is precious as
water, and humans are unpredictable,
who can blame them? Even the bitten
understand the lure of instinct,
the lust to grab something solid
in the maw and chew it, hard.


Catherine reads "Bite":



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Catherine confesses: "A dear friend of mine has a dog with, let’s say, behavioral issues, and he bit me a couple weeks ago. I was nowhere as upset as my friend, but I did get a tetanus shot. I wrote this poem to cheer her up and also to show my continuing support for the canine species."

CATHERINE WALD is an author and poet with an unimpressive criminal record. Her chapbook, Distant, burned-out stars was published by Finishing Line Press in 2011.

Catherine Wald

VILLANELLE AT MCDONALD'S

At home there is no noise or light;
I rarely welcome company;
no strangers' eyes shine warm and bright.

Here counters sparkle slick and white
in all their clean facilities.
(At home there is no noise or light.)

The smell of fries implies delight.
I can't afford them, just a tea,
where strangers' eyes shine warm and bright.

I've never tried to spend the night—
just share some quiet reverie.
(At home there is no noise or light.)

Please grant me this small human right,
some modicum of dignity,
where strangers' eyes shine warm and bright.

Why scare old pigeons into flight?
Why withhold human sympathy
where strangers' eyes shine warm and bright?
(At home there is no noise or light.)


Catherine reads "Villanelle at McDonald's":



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Catherine confesses: "This poem was inspired by the January 14, 2014 New York Times story of Man Hyung Lee, 77, who was forced by police to leave his usual booth at a McDonald's in Flushing, Queens."


Guest editor Erica Guo's ruling: "Man Hyung Lee’s getting kicked out of McDonalds for overstaying is no exceptional situation, but the normalness of the poem’s theme stops the reader in his/her tracks. All too often we think the subject at hand must be profound and unheard of, but it is our connection to the subject that makes us latch onto every line. Catherine Wald repeats the line 'At home there is no noise or light' every time unwelcome thoughts interject: There is no one who has not been uprooted against their will, whether it be from their country, their hometown, the carefree trajectory of their lives, or even from the local fast food restaurant."

CATHERINE WALD is an author and poet with an unimpressive criminal record. Her chapbook, Distant, burned-out stars was published by Finishing Line Press in 2011.

Sunday, October 26: Writers Read - Dog Stories at The Cell

Five-Two alum Catherine Wald is among ten writers reading this Sunday, 2:00–4:00 P.M. at The Cell (338 W. 23rd Street, NYC). More information.

Catherine Wald

EVE SHRUGGED

God, the world's first and biggest liar,
that crazy-ass creator with no
qualms about conjuring woman
from a stolen body part,
claimed the fruit would
kill them;

still, Eve felt no need
to resist the hissing, refuse
to flirt with wily words.
Why should she not have
grabbed (not timidly)
and devoured (not nibbled,
not tasted) that perfectly
ripe reality?

After seizing his share, Adam-
come-lately counseled cover-
up. Eve shrugged. Fed up
with patriarchs, she
was ready to see
past paradise.


Catherine reads "Eve Shrugged":



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Catherine confesses: "The story of Eve eating the apple, and then getting punished, has bugged me since I was a little kid. I decided to retell it as if Eve was proud of what she'd done, without permission—and that it led her to a better life."

CATHERINE WALD is an author and poet with an unimpressive criminal record. Her chapbook, Distant, burned-out stars was published by Finishing Line Press in 2011.

Catherine Wald

JOY WEARS A STOCKING MASK

You wouldn't recognize it if it was standing
right in front of you.

It won’t be.

You don't actually know what it looks
like.

It's going to sneak up behind you when you
least expect it.

It's going to put a gun to your head, hijack
your SUV, disable your tracking device and
tear off with you into the desert
at 90 MPH.

What happens next is
too gruesome to go into.

Afterwards, enamored of your captor,
you'll adopt arcane dialects,
abandon allegiances.

When it's all over, you won't be able
to describe it to a sketch artist or
pick it out of a line-up.

Even if you want to.


Catherine reads "Joy Wears a Stocking Mask":



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Catherine confesses: "It seems to me that joy has a very difficult time trying to enter the human heart. We put up so much resistance that desperate means are sometimes called for."

CATHERINE WALD is an author and poet with an unimpressive criminal record. Her chapbook, Distant, burned-out stars was published by Finishing Line Press in 2011.

Catherine Wald

TAKE A BITE OUT OF CRIME

Taste it.
Tingly to the tongue?
Sour? Bitter?

Take another bite.
Let your palate
mull the dark and
fruity notes.

You never thought
you’d develop a yen
for lawlessness but
now it's growing on
you like a strange
new opera, like a
pop tune.

Admit it: you're starting
to savor the
whiff of danger
frisson of desire
crunch of crisp guilt
between your teeth.

Your new addiction may
prompt you to commit
a timid misdemeanor
or it may drive
you directly
to murder.


Catherine reads "Take a Bite Out of Crime":



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Catherine confesses: "I love to take conventional wisdom and turn it on its head. 'Take a Bite Out of Crime' is a longstanding public advertising campaign featuring McGruff, a hound in a trench coat, who urges people to be good citizens. Other poems in this series include 'If You See Something, Say Something', and 'Arrive Alive'."

CATHERINE WALD is an author and poet with an unimpressive criminal record. Her chapbook, Distant, burned-out stars was published by Finishing Line Press in 2011.