2 Poems by James Babbs

The Pretty Lights

the pretty lights on
the other side of town
belong to the big trucks
waiting in line at the elevator
rain this morning
because
it’s not cold enough to freeze
but later on they say
it might switch over to snow
and I’m drinking coffee
leftover from yesterday
it’s not very good
but I don’t care
I drink it anyway
the taste in my mouth
energizing my heart and
it feels the same today
the same way it always does
I wish it could be different
sometimes I wish I had
something better
to look forward to
turning from the window
and scanning the living room
checking the clock on the wall
making sure I have enough time


I Didn’t Want to Dream About Her

I didn’t want to dream about her
but last night there she was
sitting right there next to me
on a black and white striped couch
out in the middle of a pasture
with cows grazing in the distance
and she kept touching me with her body
she kept laughing at everything I did
acting like nothing had happened between us
and when I told her
I didn’t want her here
she leaned over and kissed me
and she looked so fucking beautiful
better than I remembered
but goddamnit
I never wanted this to happen
she wasn’t supposed to be here
she must have slipped through a crack
when I wasn‘t looking
because
I never wanted to dream about her
I only wanted to let her go
after she told me
she didn’t want to see me anymore
but I guess it didn’t work
and I’m going to have to
try and do
something else about it

Bionote

James Babbs has published hundreds of poems over the last several years in print journals and online.  He lives in the same small town where he grew up.  James works for the government but doesn’t like to talk about it.  James Babbs is the author of Dictionary of Chaos(2002), Another Beautiful Night(2010), Disturbing The Light(2013) & The Weight of Invisible Things(2013). <j.babbs@mchsi.com>