The Homosexual’s Guide to Ecclesiastes | M. Shayne Bell

I

A time for ardor

Refrain from embracing? Why? Who would do that? How was I, after all, to refrain from any part of you with you lying there on that red blanket; in that green grass; under, naturally, that blue sky? Ecclesiastes would have nagged me had I refrained. I needed no nagging.

II

A time for dishabille

I’ve read this book twice, but find no discussion of time for undoing your belt, unbuttoning your jeans, or unzipping your fly—but nor does it mention time for leaving your fly zipped up, your jeans buttoned, your belt cinched.

III

A time for Linnaeus

Husband surprised me. We had used other terms, though Partner sounded as if we all ran hot-dog stands together. Lover made it seem we’d count followers on hot_significant_others.com. Ecclesiastes floated Sweetie. I favored Longtime Companion, despite the sad movie. Even now, if I read or hear someone say “longtime companion,” I think of Campbell Scott, gowned and gloved, crying alone in that hospital hallway.

IV

A time to raise one’s hat

You forgot our anniversary? Ecclesiastes says there’s still time for you to run out for a box of dried apricots dipped in dark chocolate: you can keep, he says, your cherry cordials; you can keep, I say, your Bavarian creams. Nothing says “I love you” like dark-chocolate-covered apricots. Now, I’ve put two red roses in that blue-and-white Chinese vase your mama gave us, and the Peking duck will be delivered at eight.  . . .

V

A time to follow one’s heart

When Campbell was crying, I wanted to go up and put my arms around him.

Ecclesiastes did.

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M. Shayne Bell received a Creative Writing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (1991). Bell's haiku have been published in Modern Haiku, Frogpond: Haiku Society of America, Heron's Nest, Wales Haiku Journal, Blithe Spirit: British Haiku Society, Tinywords, Shot Glass Journal, O:JA&L, Haikuniverse, Sad Girls Club, and Mainichi Japan. Bell's poetry has also been published in The Ghazal Page, Cathexis Northwest, Fibonacci Review, Typishly, Asimov’s, and Once Upon a Midnight (an anthology commemorating the 150th anniversary of Poe’s “The Raven”). Bell grew up on a ranch outside of Rexburg, Idaho; he and his two cats live in Rexburg.