Susan Kraft: An Introduction to the Poems of Mel Pelletier

In “Take Me with You, Little Birdie,” Mel uses the pantoum form beautifully. The repeated lines vary ever so slightly, deftly and subtly changing meaning throughout the poem. This poem definitely has a punch to it and Mel seamlessly integrates the repetition in a way that keeps the reader mesmerized by the language.

Mel’s work also deals broadly with growing up. In “Then Now,” Mel uses a fragmentation form to describe the tension between childhood and adulthood. The poem begins with the speaker reflecting back on what their dreams were, with fragments such as “A teacher. A role model. Wonder Woman. Then.” The tension between “then” and “now” is used throughout the poem to create a back and forth motion between childhood and adulthood. With enchanting fragments such as “Ma calls my eyes. Whiskey colored,” the reader is able to visualize exactly what is going on in the poem. Enjoy Mel’s poetry as it describes tensions in everyday life that everyone can relate to in a way that is both refreshing and consoling.


Take Me With You, Little Birdie

“Birdie, birdie in the sky
Why’d you do that in my eye?”
My dad used to say that to me,
I’d wait for him till the cows came home.

Why’d you do that in my eye?
I’ll punch you back, boy, right in the kisser,
I’d wait for you till the cows came home,
To smooch you, without a cootie shot.

I’ll punch you back, man, right in the kisser,
After three hours of head-pounding class.
To smooch you without a cootie shot,
We grew out of those anyways.

After three hours of head-pounding class,
No more pj pants, straight to the library.
We grew out of those anyways.
And “I’m just glad that cows don’t fly.”

No more pj pants, straight to the library,
“I won’t laugh, I won’t cry,
I’m just glad that cows don’t fly”
We sleep, work, eat, and love—that’s it.

I won’t laugh, I won’t cry,
Until eventually there’s no laughs left.
We sleep, work, eat, and—that’s it,
When research comes even before night cuddles.

Until eventually there’s no laughs left,
And now you hate me and my little plan book.
When research comes even before night cuddles,
Well, then instead can I fly away with you?

And now you despise me and my little plan book,
Becomes a habit that I can’t kick.
Then instead can I fly away with you,
Birdie, birdie in the sky?


-Mel Pelletier



Then Now

When I grow up. I am going to be.
Ma calls my eyes. Whiskey-colored.
I drink now…so I agree. Then.

But I always wanted to be.
A teacher. A role model. Wonder Woman. Then.

No more chalk. My camp limp on a hook.
Soon the whiskey leaks. Sometimes. Now.

All that I foresee now. A business suit.
Pinstripe handcuffs. Drunken crystal teardrops.

Then my knight. In glaring plastic.
Burn my crystal ball. Smash my suits of suede.

Nope? Ok, join me for now. For a while.
Soon. Sign your name. Then go.

--Mel Pelletier