Greenish Yellowish Houses
by Jeanne Morel
—after Italo Calvino
If, stars subdue suburbs [streets
if someone scaffolds
interrupt darkness
if darkness
if, dissatisfied
show blueprints
show trestles
show scaffolds
downtown [flower beds
arrive [whisper hastily
If, stars sub out streets
show blueprints
if dialogues
if swaying
if sky
Jeanne Morel is the author of the chapbooks, I See My Way to Some Partial Results, (Ravenna Press), Jackpot, (Bottlecap Press), and That Crossing Is Not Automatic (Tarpaulin Sky Press). She lives in Seattle.
Hi, Jeanne–I liked this! I can see the “after Calvino,” a bit. There’s something almost comforting about the “if, if, if….”