Category: Poetry

Every Sentient Being
after Frannie Lindsay

The carcasses have been piling up
All fall—atrophied chipmunk splayed under our kitchen island, read more

SHAMAN IN THE LIBRARY

Naked except for a loin cloth,
ritual scars, and streaks of red clay
he attends the staff meeting.
Bowl haircut, back straight, face impassive. read more

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Poses His Mother for a Portrait

Let the tea cup

hold your attention.

Do not dare to raise your chin. read more

Linguistic Exogamy

In this dream the house is silent. My mother closes
the piano. She opens her mouth and I add in
her words, like fear, and adoration, the terrible
translation of a hygienic room. Even then
it is different from what I want to hear,
nor have I felt it. I used to call her fascist because
she would not understand. I would let sunlight
expand quiet between us. The limitations of
specialized language have given us much grief. read more

Avalanche

After the tumbling

of a wave of snow

has quieted

and you are trapped

in depth and whiteness,

you should clear a space read more

gem

I’d just bought limes

dreaming up autumn skies

at the close of empty party bags

full of the same

leaning a bad haircut read more