The poet turned inward for supplies, To his dark and quiet room, Lined with black pearls, loose feathers, Strains of music and jars of honey. And found a shortage, Found a lack, a gap, A hollow — was relieved; “No wonder there are no words today; I thought I’d sprung a leak; But it is [...]
I walk daily with a bucket (a tiny pale child, thoughts askew, knees scraped) and lower it into the well and know fear. I am a tiny face in the silver surface below which is some days lower, some days high, and some days — cruel chill days — too far for my bucket. Today: [...]
My mother: ordinarily a lime zest/stainless steel/hokkien kind of cook baked a trayful of date scones. An immaculate oven bore them idly, uncaring of the roasted-homeful aroma that bloomed. We grew relaxed in its promise, happily hungry and laughing. I sat with her (sipping coffee, reading the paper) and took one from the cooling tray. [...]
The bookends of the day, (Which keep the rest of the hours from slumping and clumping over and falling off the shelf.) The bookends of the day, (Left has coffee and muesli and toast and jam; Right has tea and mashed potatoes and wine; Never get them mixed up.) The bookends of the day, Keeping [...]
There are many things that do not matter, So many things that do not count, And they pile up around me, In unreasonable amounts. I sweep them aside with a disdaining brush, And dust their crumbs off me, But they always stick, like burrs to sleeves, And reattach near constantly. A vigilant onslaught could be [...]
If I am mad, then let me garden And let us see what blooms! Let us see which crazy posy Rosy dandy outlines loom! What is this? A sweet dusky rose? Such thorns, though, where hips should be! And is that a daphne, sweet and mild? Oh: grasping poison Ivy. Don’t breathe too deeply of [...]
Bumbled woolly jumper, drunk on mead and sun, full-belly, delight-ful; with work and home and nectar warm, what a golden life-ful.
Hated cubic noisebox You have so many faces, charms, wiles, You insist, entreat and demand — Noise and sound dull the headspeak Make the mind seem silent: So make the choices for it. “Unwind, relax, I’ll tell you what to do, You’ve earned a break from tedious judgment and criticism. So let me give you [...]
I tread water: my flowery spiky cap sealing my head into an orb; I tread water: my smile a glow of peals, a freakish clam ajar; I tread water: my hands above the splash, graceful birdies; I tread water: I lift myself, I pose, I float, I bob. I tread water: I panic pedal furious [...]
I thought myself worldy-wise until I went to the beach. That world is strange. Women whose tummies — bellies, really — folded when they sit. Men with laughter wrinkles and bald patches. Children who get erections from the cold water. Babies who eat the sand. Dogs shit. Girls burp and wee in the surf. Boys [...]
