Christine Hamm's Blog
RSS
Jun.22.2010
Silver
The sandals I stole from Kmart.
The lighter you used on the ivy,
the dumpster. The padlock on the
refrigerator after Sara's fight with
Mom. The polish Sara dabbed
on her nails, and Mom's seashells
in the top shelf basket. The pit bull's
collar as he dove against his chain, little
grunts...
Continue Reading »
Jun.03.2010
Ramona the Fallen
Crooked, rectangular eyes.
The stench of the horses
we knit ourselves to. Her ears
clotted with gold/diamond circles
she tugged until her scabs opened
their mouths. Hurling down her
shining silver pony, she broke
the fence with her collar-bone --
the poles banging together
with a...
Continue Reading »
May.30.2010
Tuesday, Chico
The hotel swimming pool,
full of floppy children and
chemical stink. The fly
dying on my nightstand.
A quarter and magic fingers
for two minutes. Orange
diamond, black diamond,
orange -- the bedspread reeks
of bleach and violets. I need
to understand some things,
you said, some...
Continue Reading »
2 comments
May.30.2010
Tuesday, Chico
The hotel swimming pool,
full of floppy children and
chemical stink. The fly
dying on my nightstand.
A quarter and magic fingers
for two minutes. Orange
diamond, black diamond,
orange -- the bedspread reeks
of bleach and violets. I need
to understand some things,
you said, some...
Continue Reading »
1 comment
May.24.2010
Lines Excised from the 5th Poem About Your Death
Then you said, I'm not really your mother. How, when you took off your shirt, I saw your black-winged bra cupping your freckled breasts. The Wednesday when you told me you couldn't answer my call last night because you had someone's cock in your...
Continue Reading »
4 comments
May.18.2010
Dream Dog
Barking bangs from the corners of the garage.
Drool pools in your lap. Face the size of the
horizon, scummed puddle eyes, muzzle and grey
gums. Black hide, burned at the elbows and chin
to pink. Your snot-smeared hands, struggling
with the rope. Paws scrabbling like falling pigeons.
The...
Continue Reading »
2 comments
May.11.2010
Beaver, Cat, Clam
Think of it as a small
tender beast. With large
deformed paws. With a razor-
wire necklace. Think of it
as your mother once she's
drunk, when she has forgotten
her second language and can
only swear at you in Russian.
Think of it as a cop
on a Segueway, as a cop on a
Segueway in...
Continue Reading »
1 comment
Apr.30.2010
After the Accident
seatbelts hanging us upside/down can’t feel my right wrist
still a little stoned on teenaged sex and the fight about the...
Continue Reading »
1 comment
Apr.23.2010
How she learned to ride the subway by herself
How the button to her skirt kept popping open.
How she wouldn't tell anyone but him how she lost her thumb.
How he checked the websites for new girls each night when he thought she was sleeping.
How her ankle wouldn't heal.
How she walked as if she...
Continue Reading »
Apr.17.2010
Equinox
The street buckles under her feet. Her purse
swings like the sun on fast-forward. The glitter
of dimes in the gutter, on her knees.The German
shepherd charging, restrained. Apologies whispered,
shouted. Restrained twice. Hot breath builds
its own atmosphere on her cheek. A high tin...
Continue Reading »
3 comments
Apr.06.2010
The First Symptoms
No, I'm the monster, he says. Eyes
behind round tortoiseshell glasses
shift left, then up, redden. But
broccoli, she answers, I like broccoli
on my toast. Her purple lips
exactly match her fingernails.
He asks about their child,
part pony, part cat. The cop
looms over them,...
Continue Reading »
Apr.05.2010
Me and my tattoo are up at Tattoos Day. As part of national poetry month.
Continue Reading »
2 comments
Mar.31.2010
A poem in two parts:
Mousy Blonde
My cat drags a movie star onto my feet while I'm sleeping. Under the covers, on top of my feet! The movie star is wet and still. My first thought, octopus under my toes, then I wake up shrieking. The cat shrieks in response and plummets into a wall. When I...
Continue Reading »
Mar.23.2010
I'm looking to give away free copies of my new book (Saints & Cannibals) in exchange for reviews (they don't have to be positive; don't worry!) If you have a connection to a journal/website/zine and regularly write reviews, please back channel me.
You can read more about the book here:...
Continue Reading »
Mar.04.2010
Like a Fat Gold Watch: I am collecting an anthology of poems and more that celebrate Sylvia Plath's life and work, but do not fetishize her suicide and death. Please submit your poems about Sylvia Plath for an anthology to come out in Fall of 2011. All poems must be either a response to her work,...
Continue Reading »
About Christine
Christine Hamm is a PhD candidate in English Literature at Drew University. She won the MiPoesias First Annual Chapbook Competition with her manuscript, Children Having Trouble with Meat. Her poetry has been published in The Adirondack Review, Pebble Lake...
Connections
