|
Jeanne Marie Beaumont
Page 2 Regime
In the room where I sleep
the scepters and carved canes
of my predecessors lean
in the corners.
For my official portrait
I pose with a pomegranate
in my left hand
hiding my missing half-finger.
The woes of the world
scale my back
like the court animals
imported for my amusement.
Sometimes I let the capuchin monkey
sit on my shoulder
and with a small gilded comb
muss the hair around my ear.
The crumbs from his breakfast
bauble the front
of his red velvet vest.
The velvet matches my slippers
the slippers I wear out
in the garden where the gravel
has been raked overnight
by two blind caretakers.
Both well compensated—not
to worry. For their benefit
I’ve declared the hours
be struck on tambourines.
from Curious Conduct, © 2004 by Jeanne Marie
Beaumont. |