Run Away to the Yard

Lisa C. Krueger

• Publisher: Red Hen Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781597095815
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Women in Poetry
• Index: Literature

Run Away to the Yard is a unique collection of poems that addresses personal identity within the contemporary culture. In parable-like vignettes and metaphor-dense portraits, Krueger's poems challenge old notions of self, asking readers to reconsider what brings meaning to daily life. Through the lens of close observation—much like a photographer—Krueger examines the complexity of our responses to a convoluted world. Poems ask us to consider who we are when our lives become stripped of the ordinary and expected, whether that be material commodities, health, daily routines, relationships, even memory. Where, then, do we find meaning and purpose? These poems aim toward greater compassion—for other people and ultimately for ourselves.

III

BAD GIRL

When she was ten her father left her

at a Denny’s—You’ll get back.

She walked the other way for miles

before a car pulled over, a man shouted

You are lost, opened his door to her.

Beyond him was darkness.

No lights, no signs, no people

telling her what to do:

she kept walking. Upright, strident,

terrified by her act.

Terrified she was bad

for saving herself.

NO ONE BUYS JESUS

They are very young: when they talk they hold hands, their lives beginning to join like trees rooted in one spot of earth, entwined until the separation of branch. Then they are not young yet still they sit hand in hand at the fairs and flea markets. They buy their own shop, a home of artifacts, crosses, angels. They love old things, love to touch them. Sometimes he uses a small knife to carve animals from wood, sometimes she weaves. Everything around them is for sale. Bestsellers are the hands of Jesus. No one buys the crucifix Jesus, so they pry him off. Sometimes the hands come loose. They feel happy. They are bothered for a while by computers, don’t understand them, don’t grasp the ether of images, they like the real thing. When business dries up they move into a rental room without a fireplace. Their wingback chairs, bookshelves, artifacts rent with them. The room feels cluttered, they discuss trying the internet for sales or maybe just giving everything away. Talking, holding onto each other.

CASE NOTES IN RED

The wife states that The Boy starts small fires and pisses in other children’s backpacks. Looking at her husband, then looking away, she says these problems are only Red Flags, the Biggest Red is no sex in the home. The husband slouches. The wife is sick of seeing his Red Ferrari parked all over town, people are talking. He sits up to say that everyone knows about the affair with her boss. Her face reddens, a deep flush, almost a look of excitement. She begins to pace. He lies down on the couch. She raises her voice. He closes his eyes. The therapist suggests reflective listening. The wife says that they take turns sleeping with The Boy because he has nightmares. The husband, still supine, remarks that maybe she should wear something besides a negligee on those nights. The therapist comments that this is not effective communication. The wife stands over the husband and shouts that it is all his fault, he spends so much time trying to get out of the Red that they have no life. She is glistening with sweat. He continues to lie on the couch, body slack but for the erection.

BREATHING ROOM

When the guys leave for another round,

they start to catch up on gossip

until her friend leans in close, blouse

just above the salsa. Her friend whispers

I don’t want it anymore—nothing’s left,

gesturing at the bar. What? What?

she replies, picturing her friend’s husband

reaching in the dark for emptiness.

I rented a room, her friend says,

He doesn’t know.

I just need to breathe.

The men return, loom above them

while one finishes a story:

all she can see is pants. She wants

to ask her friend what a room costs

and does it work better with no stuff,

just the bareness she dreams about,

but her frie...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Acknowledgments
• Dedication
• Contents
• I
• II
• III
• Biographical Note