POETRY BY NICK ROMEO

When Nick Romeo is not at his nine-to-five occupation (which is strongly situated in the STEM fields), he passes the time with his wife, cats, and his art creations. His main forms of expression are 3D digital renderings, electronic music, writing, sewing, and photography. His latest chapbook, titled Empyrean Fog Machines, was released by Back Room Poetry. 

IF APHRODITE WAS AN ANDROID

Would she dream of sheep  
Jumping over electric fences 
Or would she dream of flocks 
Of men plugging into her senses 

Would she use alcohol flavored 
Oil to grease her external axes  
As she rides the mechanical bull  
To the delight of her choice Adonis 

Would her head spin with her hips 
As she perfects the Seven Veils 
Offering her stable versatility  
And ample capacity to her titan males 

Would humankind be intoxicated with her 
Obsessing and hypnotized by her beauty 
Easily making her body count exceed 
ED-209 Terminator Roy Batty 

I FORGOT THE WORDS

Of a poem I worked on
In the abyss of my brain
While haunting the halls
Between the bathroom my cubicle
Coffee maker water fountain
Maybe in that order but not likely

I think it was about my dear friend
My job my broken computer at my job
My fellow workers at the job or detractors
Smoke detectors propulsion system inspectors
Stamp collectors debt collectors tax collectors
I still haven’t finished my taxes by the way

Or was the poem about how my dear friend, the accountant, broke my work computer during a fire because the propulsion system malfunctioned and the lack of smoke detectors did not signal my fellow workers and detractors in time to save the stamps from burning so therefore, I could not mail out my taxes and now the tax debt collectors are calling.

Actually I think it was about the rain.
How it can put out the fiercest fires.
It has been known to put out forest fires.
Is that why, my dear friend, you don’t like the rain?

LUNCHTIME LAUNCH

I cheered on those cloud scribes
as I watched the writing
via binoculars and a point & shoot
along with people landmarks birds
making sure they didn’t misspell
call me soon because last time
they wrote Calamazoo

I paid them to write you
a tasty sestina in the clouds
but you shot the plane down
using a drone stinger
Or satellite mounted rail gun

before impact I did capture
your special communique
written on the projectile:
This sky’s unclouded
Sulfur touched sunshine abounds
My mind uncrowded

I wrote it down on my hand
while I finished my lunch
in a park still skywatching
with an umbrella to shield
the raining fallout
I ordered anchovies
on my pizza and salad
not burning flesh and debris

but eye and ear regardless
I gathered the pieces
and began to construct
a zesty villanelle on the grass
but I was interrupted
by roars of grinding gears
and crushing vegetation
I looked behind then greeted
a bulldozer with the business end
emblazoned with a tanka:
Litter cleared on earth
Don’t dare to stand in the way
I’ll free the mind fields
Of spectacle disarray
And that alone brings me mirth