Morouse & Forrest – August 2017

Allen Forrest and Michelle Morouse traded art and words. Allen shared this image, entitled “French Press,” with Michelle:

In response, Michelle wrote this poem:

After French Press, Allen Forrest

I have a plastic one now,
after breaking a few,
rinsing that slippery glass
that recalls the beakers
of undergrad research lab.

But it sits dormant, my craving
for coffee diminished, having switched to tea.

I’d cut back on caffeine in alliance
with a boyfriend who tried to stop,
whose blood pressure made me blanch

upon taking it, who loved coffee,
made it despite the August heat,
with a percolator pulled out of his camping
gear, on a hot plate, on his wooden front porch,
hidden from the road by tall trees,

and we talked, or he talked, mostly,
and I was glad I listened, for he perished
soon after of a heart attack.

I drink coffee once in a while now.
Sometimes it braces me
like it did when I was fifteen,
up at what was way too early then,
but just right now,

but sometimes,
it just seems burnt.

* * * * *

Michelle shared this poem with Allen:

Patti Smith, Majestic Theater, Detroit

you loved this city would have loved her would stand in line for an hour to hear
maybe she’ll spit in my cup maybe she’ll sign my just kids cheer when she praised
your city’s song and spirit and sang we will live again and spun stomped and yowled
and twin guitars thrummed and the beat the beat and the young stotted and gleamed
and old children sloshed and said yes yes yes this is who we are

In response, Allen made this image, entitled “Majestic Theater”: