Three Poems
HELEN O’NEILL DAVIS
collects dolls, bells ring
the stores of troy burned
down, were torn down
we walked everywhere
we walked to THE VOLCANO
to THE VOLCANO we walked
a sign of happiness bakeries
there were bakeries everywhere
a sign of good fortune, so many
bakeries including the nelligan’s
a marriage mixed catholic & episcopal
we thought this troy was the only troy
we took the dayboat to NYC, who’s
coming to town? maybe uncle sam
let’s take a walk to proctor’s
i guess we’re living longer than we thought
they look so poor, i almost didn’t let them in
HELEN CRANDELL WHALEN VILLANELLE
everybody died
i’m learning to control my temper
i took off, it was fun, i loved it
there were cameras in the store
i don’t have to look
everybody died
one helen’s enough, trust me
i love reading books
i took off, it was fun, i loved it
people think i’m stupid
i went to proctor’s theater
everybody died
there’s nothing more to say
my hair’s braided like a family
i took off, it was fun, i loved it
if you did something wrong, they punished you
one helen is enough, trust me
i don’t have to look
she was mean
she didn’t like any of the crandells
one helen is enough, trust me
i had to clean other people’s houses
for a dollar a day
my hair’s braided like a family
if you did something wrong, they punished you
one helen is enough, trust me
i don’t have to look
she was mean
she didn’t like any of the crandells
one helen is enough, trust me
i had to clean other people’s houses
for a dollar a day
my hair’s braided like a family
i’m 66 & smart as a whip
they’d call me the orphan-brat
i took off, it was fun, i loved it
when you’re an orphan you do anything
i went to proctor’s theater
i’m learning to control my temper
it’s been rough
my favorite color’s maybe yellow
everybody died
i took off, it was fun, i loved it
HELEN FULLER
a gold helen
a steiner helen
an interrogative helen
the free verse helen
the coal-mining helen
mimi, a revolving lavender helen
a camp hill helen the massage lavender light
a massaging helen, that’s a kind
of pennsylvania therapy, a sowinski
helen who just happened to wind up
being a helen of troy -- hey helen
the sun’s coming out! wait up!
finally a fuller helen
to always be reincarnated
as a helen -- would you remember
the irises in your front yard?
what color were they? maybe
Goethe planted them, along with
tulips like a convertible auto
a 1965 ford galaxie in pink
and purple, the glove compartment
is as refrigerated as a stream
still too cold to be in june
helen fuller looks like kate mullaney
let’s frame these remedies
like the eyes of sowinski jellyfish
so we can always see beings at ease