It's just poetry, it won't bite

The Surprise


02.28.11 Posted in words to linger on by

Austin Alexis has had work published at MobiusCaper Literary JournalDanse MacabreBarrow Street, and elsewhere. His work has been included in the anthology Off the Cuffs and his chapbook, For Lincoln and Other Poems (Poets Where Prada Press). He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and he received a Bread Loaf Writers Conference Scholarship.

The Surprise

By Austin Alexis

Who was the first person

to discover maple syrup?

He or she exclaimed

“This crap tastes good!”

The invention of sweetness

shows the brilliance of life,

ie, life knows what it’s doing,

ie, no one should hate the days,

months, years, decades, centuries.

After all, if the world could come up with

something so delicious

I say let’s love it for millennia.


Sticking to t
he topic of syrup:

Spread out in golden splendor

across the lickable back of a pancake

the gooey stuff glows,

warm as a mild autumn sun

with rays that stay.

It flavors the tongue

without ever crossing over to

the state of too saccharine or too tangy.

It’s better than a new pair of jeans,

better than a trip to Old Navy,

better than pants worn comfortably

below, way below, the hips.


Say it. Sy-rup.

Sounds like a name

the ancient Romans whipped up

for one of their charismatic gods.

Sy-rup. Its etymology?

A necessary pre-run.

A platonic ideal.

An earthly draft of Paradise.




2 Responses to “The Surprise”

  1. Sarah says:

    Delicious and fun.

  2. Jeanette Gallagher says:

    Oh, this is GOOD! Really GOOD! My mouth waters as I read…

Latest Podcast Episode
0:00
0:00
vox poetica archives