Ostentation

for Nancy Baker

1

Teacher points at the vase, says vase so

I say vase, point at the vase, think: cantaloupe.

2

Teacher places my hand on the vase,

looks me in the eye, says vase real slow,

guides my hand across its sheen—says vase, shivers.

3

Through the window I see peach pits,

so hollow, so alone in the rain,

I almost remember her womb.

Hans Kulla-Mader

Read at Brain Melt opening, June 16, 2012