Tag Archives: Satan Talks to His Therapist

Quatrains: Melissa Balmain, ‘For My Mother-in-Law, Trapped in Her Nursing Home by Another Viral Outbreak’

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(after A.E. Housman)

Loneliest of trees, a cherry blooms
Unseen by you whose spartan rooms
Have windows that are far too high
For views of anything but sky.

Now with your nineties in full swing,
You’ve doubtless started wondering
If last year’s rides to see spring’s glory
Were the last ones in your story.

And so you’re gamely making do
With what’s available to you:
A faded sprig from Mother’s Day;
Pink sneakers; blushing fruit puree.

*****

Melissa Balmain writes: “This poem was indeed written for my mother-in-law, the irreplaceable Anne Cilurzo FitzPatrick. She died the following winter, in 2023, after a life devoted to family, music, writing, volunteer work, and the tireless pursuit of dark chocolate. Her obituary can be found here.”

‘For My Mother-in-Law’ appears in Melissa Balmain’s third poetry collection, Satan Talks to His Therapist, available from Paul Dry Books (and from all the usual retail empires). Balmain is the editor-in-chief of Light, America’s longest-running journal of comic verse, and has been a member of the University of Rochester’s English Department since 2010.  

“plum and wall” by OiMax is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Melissa Balmain, ‘Fatal Mistakes’

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The pill you’re sure is good for you,
the mole you think you can neglect,
the ache you blame on winter flu:
it’s always what you least expect.

The mat that pads your shower floor,
the flight you take from home, direct,
the car that’s never stalled before:
it’s always what you least expect.

The oddly coiffed New York tycoon
whom no one ever would elect
because he’s nutty as a loon . . .
it’s always what you least expect.

from Satan Talks to His Therapist, by Melissa Balmain (Paul Dry Books, 2023).

Melissa Balmain writes: “In light-verse workshops, writers are sometimes surprised when I suggest trying forms that weren’t designed for funny stuff (unlike, say, limericks or double dactyls). But comic poets can get a lot of mileage out of “serious” forms, from sonnets to sestinas–especially if their humor tends to skew dark. For anxious or obsessive topics, I’m often drawn to repeating forms like the villanelle, rondeau, or (in this case) the kyrielle. The challenge lies in finding ways to surprise the reader even though they know the line that’s coming.”

Melissa Balmain’s third poetry collection, Satan Talks to His Therapist, is available from Paul Dry Books (and from all the usual retail empires). Balmain is the editor-in-chief of Light, America’s longest-running journal of light verse, and has been a member of the University of Rochester’s English Department since 2010. She is a recovering mime.

“Pratfall” by Life Imitates Doodles is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.