Day 10: Chad Haskins on "Still Waters" by Phyllis Wax

For Day 10 of 30 Days of The Five-Two, Chad Haskins sent in the following commentary on "Still Waters" by Phyllis Wax. —Gerald So

I love this poem. It is also a very timely topic. The extended metaphor of a gun to a protective lover is gripping and entertaining. The first two stanzas show how important this "dear persuader" has become. The speaker cannot sleep without the persuader..."my protector, my savior, my love."

The last stanza begins with the strong physical features which also provide the speaker with security. The speaker then calls the person "my faithful Roscoe," which I had to look up to learn that a “Roscoe” is a term used for a handgun in the 1920s and 30s. She shortens the term affectionately to “my hot Rod,” revealing the related sexual attraction.

The speaker concludes the poem with perhaps a biblical allusion to Psalms 23:4 by saying, "I fear nothing. You are with me...my salvation." Also, the title of the poem appears to come from Psalms 23:2 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters." Perhaps the speaker is trying to show that this relationship is an extreme dependence, almost mocking it—the salvation "pocket rocket." —Chad Haskins

Phyllis Wax

STILL WATERS

Oh, my dear persuader,
I couldn't fall asleep without you
here beside me.

Just the thought triggers panic—
you are my protector, my savior, my love.

Your cute snub nose and steadying grip,
your steely frame, comfort me
my faithful Roscoe, my hot
Rod. Though I walk through the valley
or the tough city streets, I fear nothing.
You are with me. You are my pocket rocket,
my salvation. I won't let anyone
take you away.


Phyllis reads "Still Waters":



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Phyllis confesses: "I've never wanted a gun in my house. I’ve never wanted a gun at all. When Wisconsin passed concealed carry legislation about three years ago I started thinking about why someone would feel they needed to always carry a gun."

PHYLLIS WAX, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, writes on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan where she tries to keep politics and social issues from drowning out her muse. Sometimes they swim into her poems. Her work has appeared in many anthologies and literary journals, both online and print, among them Out of Line, New Verse News, Verse Wisconsin, Ars Medica, Naugatuck River Review, Your Daily Poem.