Two Poems by Mona Mehas

Mona Mehas

Mona Mehas (she/her) writes from the perspective of a retired disabled teacher in Indiana USA. A Pushcart and Best New Poets nominee, her poetry books include Questions I Didn’t Know I’d Asked (LJMcD Communications, 2024), Hand-Me-Downs (LJMcD Communications, 2024), Calling to Shore (Cicada Song Press, 2025), Self-Centered (Bottlecap Press, 2024), My Colorful Heart (Bottlecap Press, 2025), and Breathing Through My Spine (Poptab Pres, 2025.) Her work has appeared in multiple publications and online museums. Mona is editing her second novel while perpetually distracted by her next chapbook.

Flavors

inspired by Jay

My outer shell is a cone

not the large sturdy kind

but soft and airy, strong enough.

Scooped into the cone is vanilla

– plain, white

dripping around the edges

sweet but ordinary.

Like I shove loneliness

deep inside my gut, a pool

of creamy white fear

sinks to the bottom

swallowing youthful anger

until I leak.

Pralines and cream bring

a rich, buttery, sticky caramel

oozing over hidden obstacles

that make me choke

Years trapped in this cone

my needs for freedom unmet

overcome with fake sweetness

spill over the ridges.

Another scoop for remedy

birthday cake ice cream with

sprinkles. Rich like a cake

to celebrate advancing years.

Sprinkles form new barriers

– smaller, softer, brighter

easier to see, to avoid.

I add a cherry and whipped cream

but my creamy center has turned

to sticky soup

my finishing touches will not hold up.

Nothing can rescue

a melted lifetime.

Perfect Imperfection

Thirty years ago, I would have said

my life was a perfect storm

caught like lightning in a beer bottle,

set free at a campfire,

turn around, repeat,

learn nothing.

Now my life is a used-up tornado

ripping at my insides

spitting out the debris

I gather along the way.

Careful, don’t get too close,

imperfection is contagious.