an urgent pulse
of light in the window
my anxious grasp
of pen and paper
before words escape
into the dangers
of this ordinary
day scattered
among orange peels
and the small bright pieces
you snap together
to build a world
where the good ones
always win
The green scent of you
would linger with me for a while,
stay and play childish tricks on my memories,
making them believe in themselves.
That smell,
damp earth and creation,
on your hands kept me company on the drive
back home to my own fields.
And now, in the evening,
when the air is still,
I am left only a recognition –
the shape of a branch,
a reminder
of that line, soft and angled
that defined your smile.
Q: If you could pack only one thing for a trip to a deserted island, what would you pack?
A: The alphabet.
Q: If you were to change your name, what might you change it to?
A: Neti, Neti. Sanscrit for not this, not that.
Q: What is your favorite activity?
A: Moving.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: Exist.
Q: Do you have any advice for a young semi-colon?
A: No.
Q: Do you feel misunderstood?
A: Yes. And no.
Q: Do you have any regrets?
A. Absolutely not.
SANDCASTLES
The purest meditation
is that of a child at play
molding grains of sand
into a beautiful castle
like the one he has in
mind, not distracted
by the roar of the ocean
at his back nor by thoughts
of the rising tides and
the waves of time
that will so soon wash away
all trace of his creation.
(none of this may not be true)
Imagine!
You are a God!
You have amazing Power!
You will create a universe!
What will You create?
You start with the simplest imaginable – a point
You get a sense of satisfaction for a job well done but
Nothing happens, nothing can happen so
You create again
A flatness forever both ways and You add time so
A few things can happen but this is boring, these lines and shapes
Maybe You make time flow backwards and sideways as well as forward
Interesting for a little bit, but
You have a word for being frustrated, irritated, disappointed.
You say it and create again.
A volume of three dimensions
You add time so things can happen
And You look on your creation
X, Y, Z
t flows only on
And You are pleased
The simplest interesting universe imaginable
That’s where we live
(please respond)
50 – and still draping
the living room curtains
behind the nape,
chasing mice out the kitchen
with a hard head and soft shoe…
could be worse,
could dress my neck
with my favorite rita dove
dust jacket and chase down
rejection letters
like they were mastodons…
well…
mice or mammoths,
meat is meat, right?
At some point my house said, “To hell
with it,” and decided cracking the plaster,
sloping the floors, and rotting the rails
off the porch was preferable to a life upright
on its frame.
I try to coax it back into shape,
refinish floors, repair and paint, but my house
smiles, shakes its head, and pops a seal
on the outside faucet – again.
Then one morning, I pull on my pants,
notice they’re tighter than usual,
see my shirt buttons tug just a bit,
but fry two eggs in butter anyway.
The house creaks. “Shut up,” I say.
“Mm hmm,” my house says.
