More of the bird vortex

they opened the drain in the sky last night. and so goes the time away into a series of wires and machines and we make cookies and set them to cool on the table in tiers. it is the time for cheer and wonder. we are some-eh-what bless-ed things, even in this failing market. even in this weather and under it. here's to your house, may it hold you in its walls like a soft-spoken mother. and when we see each other we can say we saw this, too.

know who you are/talk to

placed into a bag, the light decided:
happens are for loose knit cloth, clotted art
the fangtoothed. keep it beneath simple
and the newspirit, printed. a major
chord for the celebration rang out, the ladder
continued its step upping. we are minors
with the -er replaced in our lungs, a trade out.
and the river that runs through town
hides its water beneath a cold hard face.
a sky ripples the same and we're beneath
all of this even. numbers and copypaper.
ready for endings, the source of local news
had its glowing head turned off. the ball
that drops is little and full with bulbs.
people looking up into their hearts. are hats.
hours. 'r'-s, ours. fangled.

flask and gloss

Trouble With Mapping

Hello dear readers (all 3 of you),

If you read poetry and are thinking about buying anything in the next month (for the holidays or as a reward for making it through the holidays) check out Brett Price's Trouble with Mapping. It's a lovely hand-made limited edition chapbook and each cover is different.

Go here for more information: flyingguillotinepress.blogspot.com and to see a few of the covers.

Also, there is a new chapbook out from Cue Editions--Let It Be Nearby by Mark Horosky. It's gorgeous and so is the writing. http://cueeditions.blogspot.com/

I've been frantically gathering papers to send in the mail to people I don't know. What else is there?

Vortex

I dreamed a vortex
of starlings last night. Open
the drain in the sky.

5 questions, I think

that i was supposed to answer about 5 and a half months ago, in a series of 5's (yet there are 8 questions...) and starting with what i was doing 5 years ago...



what were you doing 5 years ago? 1) getting frustrated with jane miller and then learning from that frustration how to be indifferent 2) sweating a lot 3) playing pool at the red garter and getting smeared by andy 4) slapping al's head 5) hanging out with people i don't get to see now.



what are 5 things on your to do list for today? 1) get observed (accomplished) 2) go to harrisburg 3) remember to pack student papers in bag (accomplished) 4) grade the 5 papers that were printed from email (accomplished) 5) drink something boozish with pj and jess --this list makes me feel like i'm a capable human...odd for a friday.



what are 5 snacks you enjoy? 1) lightly salted peanuts 2) cliff bars, generally peanut butter crunk or something along that line 3) cereal 4) apples 5) bread



what are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire? 1) fly eveyone i enjoy being around to the south pacific and have a weeklong barbecue 2) stop work 3) give people 50,000 every so often 4) secure my parents for the rest of their lives 5) make more stuff



what are 5 of your bad habits? 1) procrastination 2) pessimism 3) laziness--linked to 1 and 2 4) forgetting to brush my teeth and not flossing 5) dead baby jokes



what are 5 places you have lived? 1) archbald 2) pittsburgh 3) tucson 4) queens 5) mt cobb



what are 5 jobs you have had? 1) sandwich artist 2) gas station attendant 3) maintenance worker 4) flower deliverer 5) nut grabber (small parts picking and packing)



which 5 people do you want to tag? 1) mark 2) jlk 3) paul 4) jesse 5) sommer

My mess (opotamus--opatamia)

The rain sets its ears down. Think little for the sound.

I've been better

off in bed

today. Like this container? the man selling

containers asked. No one listed.

The rain set its hair up. Look hard for the shoulder there.

The date for tomorrow is a lucky one, the 7th. Some bets to carry

off to the corner

and turn

on. Copy the signs and send them

uptown, send them singing.

All the paper scraps accordioned here. All them rejoicing.