Hollywood

I feel heartened that William McKinley broke with tradition
and sat next to Ida Mckinley at state functions and dinners
so that he could cover her face with a hankerchief or napkin
if she suffered from a seizure which she did ever since
the loss of her two children and the hankerchief saved her
from being embarrassed which is a very kind and loving
thing to do for your wife I think and I also wonder why
more people don’t mention the McKinleys when they talk
about great loves that are out there in history and I imagine
it is because they didn’t appear really glamorous or much
like movie stars but Ida McKinley had a fascinating face
and William McKinley certainly loved his wife in a really
big way and love in a big way certainly seems glamorous
to me, although it is true that he wasn’t very glamorous-
looking if that matters which is does sometimes.

 

Cuisine

On my plate is a hot dog
wrapped in a crispy pretzel.
Next to it is a tiny little pickle.
I pick it up,
gazing at its tinyness–
not in an admiring way,
although I do enjoy
anything that makes
me less hungry, even
if it is tart or sour, just
like this one.

I don’t eat it of course,
yet–I just have a little
look. I enjoy looking
at it while I eat my
hot dog, which one
must eat first–first
things, like hot dogs,
always come first. They must.
And today, this first thing,
this hot dog, has a little too much
mustard on it–it is creeping over
the pretzel, and just might end
up on my fingers.

Still, the overall effect
of both the pretzel and the hot dog
is a very delicious and pleasing one!

And the pickle?
perky, attractive,
a little briny.
In a word, delicious!
My compliments to
the chef! He cried
when he found out his father
was his son and held his
hand gently as he
lay dying.


Copyright © 2010 Ricky Garni
 

(1) Ricky Garni is a graphic designer who moved from 105 Fidelity Street Apt B-17 to 105 Fidelity Street Apt B-35 and is still suffering a little from culture shock: "The areas seems the same at first, but there are nuances in the languages that differ in subtle ways, and you have to be careful what you say, especially with the elders of the village in this region." Mr. Garni sighs. "I don't think I will ever get used to slurping my soup or the way they treat animals over here. Sometimes I miss my old life…"

(2) Ricky Garni is a graphic designer and musician who graduated from Duke University and lost his diploma and his favorite La-Z-Boy recliner. I know, I know-how do you lose a recliner? He did though. As for the diploma, smart money says that it was wedged into the little fanny area of the recliner since that's where most things end up.

(3) Ricky Garni has worked as a graphic designer, a teacher, a warehouse manager, a wine merchant, a recording engineer, and, for one day, a bathroom attendant in a Pizzeria on Miami Beach that had a rather dainty and elderly thermostat and it was summer. Mr. Garni has written poetry and prose since 1974 and has been published fairly often in print and on the Web. He loves old movies and bicycles and still likes pizza, but prefers the honest, wholesome, North Carolina variety.

(4) Ricky Garni is a graphic designer and bicycle collector living in Carrboro, North Carolina. His work has been published most recently in PANK, MEDULLA REVIEW, SHAMPOO, THE BICYCLE REVIEW, PRICK OF THE SPINDLE and other venues. He has received four Pushcart nominations and one Pushcart Honorable Mention. His most recent work is TELEFRICASSEE, an episodic roux that blends story lines from 50 different sitcoms ranging from HAZEL to NIP/TUCK into 101 poems.