Hiram Larew

Founder of Poetry X Hunger: Bringing a World of Poetry to the Anti-Hunger Cause, Larew has poems in recent issues of Iowa Review, Contemporary American Voices and Poetry Scotland‘s Gallus.  His latest collection, Patchy Ways, was published by CyberWit Press in 2023.  www.HiramLarewPoetry.com and www.PoetryXHunger.com

Muley Eyes

Don’t expect anything of the kind –
No pitchers of ice water
No socks washed
No close holdings
No leafy cool breeze or hurrays
Or blue ribbons all lined up in a row
Or anything else granted.
Don’t so much as ask
Don’t even try to.

Because salt is salt
And until deserts go swimming
Or other laws of nature break apart
Your silly grin isn’t worth a fly
And muley eyes don’t offset sly foxes.

And all such pouts
Of the why-not kind
Aren’t helping either.
So just stop trying to be so cute or curly.

Ping Pong