Jennifer Juneau

A red-bellied bird said, as
it flew up on a windowsill in this big red city,
red as a red room or read as a postcard
on a rainy day
Something good is going to happen today
and this symbolized hope

Something good is going to happen today
if you believe it
I can’t tell you what yet
but I’ll tell you when it happens, it happens

that the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge
are close to where I live
but they’re not ideal for jumping off
For one thing, the Manhattan Bridge has a wire fence on its walkway that you can’t penetrate
and the Brooklyn Bridge walkway expands over traffic
If you’re in the mood to make a splash in water
it won’t happen

Something good is going to happen today
If I insist, my dentist said, he’s going to have to believe there’s something else going on
There is (isn’t) but
I can’t stand the sight of non-refulgent weather
I don’t believe in rumors
I’m not partial to planets when they don’t align

Something good is going to happen today
As I lie in bed at five to midnight,
the minutes are countable stars
and I wonder what it was that was supposed to happen
as I lie here
with my mind
and my body
and my life

–Jennifer Juneau

Poetry