Jonathan Chen, is a senior at the University of San Diego. He currently writes a column for the school newspaper. He sent the Monkey the following poems. The Monkey said, and I quote, “Go Man, GO!”.
PLAYER
I can’t live without you
you said
with a sickening yet earnest expression
You won’t die for her
No way, you said
as you awaken
she has a knife pressed against your throat Damn, you said
This can not be happening
the angels you never believed
have taken command
LOLITA
While in bed
he seems discombobulated
that she keeps repeating an unfamiliar name
He considers the option of self-denial
and ponder
with the thought of cold-blooded murder
He feels like a second-rated magician
trapped in an authentic straight-jacket
Opaque smoke and odorless stench fill the air in the light of total despair
Luckily,
he discovers his Buddha nature
NOSTALGIA
Sometimes I stare,
at the dusty trophies
The innocent times,
are of distant memory
Worries were no more than
an occasional pimple
and catching the bus on time
I try to think,
but Freud, Shopenhaur, and Nietsche
argue constantly
in a cacophany
tick tick tick tick tick tick,
Hi, I’m Ed Bradly
and I’m Andy Rooney
Tonight,
we expose the real truth of penile implants.
MARGRITTE’S PAINTINGS
His heart
a barren, deserted land
and when the seashell wept
he wept with it.
All the failed attempts
to seduce with the cliches.
The diary calls for a rewrite
Surrealistic paintings
now seem to connect with his stream of consciousness
Realism,
is the only means to the end.
EVIL TWIN BROTHER
At the entrance of hell
My twin brother
Seems a bit too innocent.
I find myself laughing,
uncontrollably.
The get the wrong guy,
repeatedly.
With a sweet smile
I look just like him,
almost magically.
B-RATED MOVIE
The film director in the beret tells you
that all this is for the sake of art
He touches you only the way you touch yourself,
they are expecting answers
The choice is yours
Microwave stardom
or doomed obscurity
The choice is yours
People volunteer for medical experiments
solely to claim some “dead presidents”
The choice is yours
The psychic frauds charge
$4.95 the first minute
$2.95 each additional minute
The choice is yours
In your dreams everybody wears rubber
the photographer couldn’t stop the shutter
The non-English speaking immigrant working at the drive-through shouts
the check out time is noon
sir,
the choice is yours
CLOCK
The muffled voice of the drive-through clown
has the effect
of making folks hyperventilate
The ridiculously diverse menu
causes us to excessively contemplate
The unknown of the universe
with total disregard to our feelings
take away time,
at the most inconvenient moment.
We look up at the constellation of the sky
and without shame but pride
believe that we are making something magnificent
from our everyday, trivial lives.
VISION
Some character from Dickens
ask you to join them.
They invite you to eat living flesh.
Despite the popular opinion
you’d rather not do this.
At the end you finally notice
that you should have read the Cliff’s Notes.
GILIGAN’S ISLAND
People who refuse to believe their own senses are particularly fond of
the curses of too much wisdom.
But your attention is drawn to the fact
that you have changed your name to boredom.
If they show the re-run one more time
I swear I am going to die.
BRING ME YET ANOTHER SCOTCH
The blue lake is as cool as your eyes
While the limit is the sky
you can’t help but wonder why
Van Gough never lived long enough
to enjoy his 15 minutes of overdue fame.
A prodigy
ain’t worth a dime
as long as he sings, dances, and breathes.
To be good
the devil says,
you should think about suicide.