In Spring I Think of Salad

In Spring I think of salad
In Winter I crave carbohydrates.

In times of peace I think of velvet
In a white room I collapse into dust mites.

In the city I make out cloud shapes at night
In the country I turn into a housecat.

In school there is a teacher
In school there is a conglomerate.

In the ice cream store they are making ice cream
with liquid nitrogen, sugar, milk, and pistachio.

In Spring I think of scallops
In Winter I need bitterness.

In hell Satan drops a stone into a hole.
In heaven God considers darkness.
In a white room I collapse into dust mites.

Johnny Cook is the poetry co-editor of BARNHOUSE. He lives in Cleveland, OH and teaches composition at Cleveland State University.