To a Rival

Some say the world is big enough for all of us,

but I think you take up too much space

in the book review section.

I hate the way you

in the destructive element immerse,

your meters and swift procession of tropes,

your book prize, your Japanese garden.

Here’s the worst:

Every time I see you with him

I feel the same hot surge I felt

when I realized I’d left the copper kettle on high.

and all the water boiled out,

and I almost burned down my house.

Thank God your nose looks like a can opener

or I’d have another reason to detest

your ingenious blend of the sentimental and sarcastic.

But if you phoned me and said

Let’s go out to lunch,

I think, S., we could be friends.

Lynn Levin

This poem appeared in Schuylkill Valley Journal, Fall 2002 issue.