THE TIME I ALMOST KISSED MARILYN MONROE

It was July 21st, 1962, 

my twenty-fifth birthday.

I gambled five dollars

and won the local lottery

to have dinner with Marilyn Monroe

in downtown Cincinnati. 

We met at six at the Netherland Hilton. 

Marilyn Monroe was quite shy,

so I did most of the talking,

telling her stories from my Upper Peninsula youth.

After dessert and coffee

Marilyn Monroe invited me to her room

to meet her little dog Maf.

I closed the door behind us

and leaned forward to kiss her

but the moment I touched her elbow

I fainted and fell flat on the floor.

Marilyn Monroe helped me back to my feet.

I apologized profusely

but she said, “Don’t worry,

this happens to me all the time.”

That ended my special evening.

I actually thought about   

flying to Hollywood to visit her

but then, just two weeks later,

Marilyn Monroe died

from an overdose of sleeping pills.

The world has never been quite the same.

IKO'S SPIRIT

 

Devastating. A visceral shock 

We brought Iko in for routine dental work 

but then 

a massive tumor in his throat 

“Aggressive melanoma” 

We reluctantly agreed 

to have Iko put down 

Three weeks have gone by 

Iko’s ashes are on the mantel 

His spirit has spread throughout the house 

I look for him each time I enter a room

expect to see him on his pillow in the hallway 

or waiting at the door when we return 

My biological clock tells me 

when it’s time for our walk 

I note each shrub on Ludlow Ave 

where Iko would want to pause and sniff 

Last night as she was getting out of bed 

Katja saw Iko on the floor near her feet 

She stepped out of the way 

to avoid hurting him 

When I turned twelve 

I gave up my belief in ghosts 

Now I find myself re-thinking the matter