animal prayer

detail a day 365

2011-11-23T14:50:00.001-05:00

the human microphone

(via)

detail a day 364

2011-11-04T12:05:00.000-05:00

i look for god like i look for my glasses,
patting surfaces blindly, careful
not to snap the fragile frame

detail a day 363

2011-11-02T14:12:00.002-05:00

lightning flicks its forked tongue

detail a day 362

2011-11-01T11:34:00.002-05:00

caskets on a flatbed:
somewhere to be

detail a day 361

2011-10-30T00:18:00.001-05:00

fog so thick, if we didn't
know these streets by heart
we'd be blind

detail a day 360

2011-10-28T08:48:00.001-05:00

7 billion and counting
our umbilical an exhaust pipe,
nuchal

(via)

detail a day 358

2011-10-25T13:23:00.001-05:00

illegible skywriting

detail a day 357

2011-10-25T13:09:00.004-05:00

like the cat who, let out,
turns her face to the sun
to feel through her fur
the light on her skin

detail a day 356

2011-10-25T12:48:00.001-05:00

it took years to learn how to read, and much longer
to interpret the space on the page

detail a day 355

2011-10-18T13:41:00.002-05:00

they painted the smokestack white
but the cloud it spouts stayed grey

detail a day 354

2011-10-15T20:42:00.001-05:00

the memory is grainy blown out hues

detail a day 353

2011-10-13T22:40:00.003-05:00

Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds.

--Oppenheimer quoting the Bhagavad-Gita, after the Trinity test

detail a day 352

2011-10-13T22:35:00.000-05:00

The light that shattered the predawn darkness was greater than that of 500 suns.

Aim is perfect. Deeds, not words.
Cloud moves to open ocean,
precise nature.

Although no one said so outright.

It is a team capable of destroying any city in the world,
a firecracker compared to today's monster.
Exactly as expected.

By the year 2000 they believe man
will be extracting fuel from common rocks
and food from wheat stalks, roots
and plantlife that today is discarded as worthless.

coral dust, Russia,
mammoth, radio, butter,
paving on Tuesday.

(found poem via The Altus Times-Democrat, Monday May 21, 1956)

detail a day 351

2011-10-13T22:01:00.002-05:00

my father's ferlinghetti,
mom's jazz, her neruda

detail a day 350

2011-10-11T18:02:00.000-05:00

to clear room for our new bed, we took

apart the old headboard we'd rocked loose

from the frame: more for the woodpile

to warm us later.

detail a day 349

2011-10-10T11:28:00.001-05:00

To tell if my contact lens is inside out, i place it in the crease of my palm then close my hand. if the blue-tinted disc folds like a clamshell, it's right. If it puckers, it's inside out.

detail a day 348

2011-10-10T11:12:00.002-05:00

the uncanny valley is a phenomenon that occurs when computer-generated animation or robots' realism causes revulsion in the viewer rather than empathy.

detail a day 347

2011-10-07T20:23:00.001-05:00

radio tower a spine,
all chakras blinking

detail a day 346

2011-10-07T19:29:00.001-05:00

radio reverend numbering verses
like a quarterback calls plays.

i've had enough of the lamb:
show me god's wolf

detail a day 345

2011-10-06T11:07:00.001-05:00

my mother's face,
when she sat from savasana
serene as i've ever seen it,
a tara.

detail a day 344

2011-10-05T16:55:00.001-05:00

i've never been
able to break in
a pair of jeans

detail a day 343

2011-10-04T07:10:00.001-05:00

you shift in your sleep
and kiss my spine
between my wings

detail a day 342

2011-10-03T21:49:00.005-05:00

bull market, bear market
adam naming the animals

detail a day 341

2011-10-03T19:25:00.002-05:00

it's said peacocks owe their feathers' brilliance to venom of the snakes they eat

(via)

detail a day 340

2011-09-29T21:57:00.002-05:00

sirens lonely hounds howling

detail a day 339

2011-09-29T15:36:00.003-05:00

soap sheen spiraling the surface of my tea

detail a day 338

2011-09-23T23:53:00.000-05:00

the drummer stroked a bow over the edge of his cymbal
and drew a shudder from all of us.
sax shrieks in our hearts stuttering with the upright
and violins' broken voices.
in this same theatre, 18, we kissed in the catwalk,
the band below too loud to listen,
it was a blessing, a blessing.

detail a day 337

2011-09-21T22:39:00.002-05:00

i was so nearsighted as a kid, any distance blurred,
so i learned to read the shapes of things, could tell
the silhouette of someone i loved from blocks away

detail a day 336

2011-09-20T22:44:00.001-05:00

the arils of yew are the only edible part of the plant and a favorite fruit of birds. the leaves, wood, and bitter seeds so difficult to extract from the bright red fruit are toxic enough to kill livestock.

detail a day 335

2011-09-19T23:19:00.001-05:00

The lost cat poster on the stop sign shows the hand-drawn face of Snuffles.
It hung for weeks until the morning the rain rinsed the ink off the paper, but
when I passed again on my way home that night, the sign was back,
this time laminated with packing tape.

detail a day 334

2011-09-19T23:14:00.006-05:00

blood in every seam i stitch

detail a day 333

2011-09-19T23:14:00.001-05:00

my grandmother taught me to thread a needle,
how to wet the thread to pierce the eye, saying,
it helps to wear lipstick as she sealed the fray

detail a day 332

2011-09-17T10:12:00.001-05:00

the cat trills like a zipper zipping, the inflection of her questions

detail a day 331

2011-09-15T21:58:00.001-05:00

what kind of tree were you?
i ask the paper
what burned to light you?
i ask the screen

detail a day 330

2011-09-14T13:18:00.003-05:00

My two years of dreads:the lock, comb, twist, knotand finally cutleaned over cathie's bathroom sinkdrunk on St. Patrick's Day,the lightheadedness after

detail a day 329

2011-09-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

If i am still, othersmove past me, of emotion and chatterlike breezes

detail a day 328

2011-09-12T16:12:00.002-05:00

blue lotus of the lit gas stove

detail a day 327

2011-09-09T08:57:00.000-05:00

the susquehanna is rising
the delaware is rising
the passaic is rising
the raritan is rising
the mohawk is rising
the tioughnioga is rising
the hudson is rising
the connecticut is rising
the chenango is rising
the unadilla is rising
the housatonic is rising
the wanaque is rising
the millstone is risng
the schuylkill is rising
the black warrior is rising(via)

detail a day 326

2011-09-09T08:02:00.002-05:00

gulls' voices cracking

detail a day 325

2011-09-03T23:45:00.002-05:00

when the air conditioner changes cycles,
the lights surge.
either way, lightning floods the lake with purple glow

detail a day 324

2011-09-02T18:51:00.002-05:00

the ground is so flat in ohio,
you can watch the sunset forever

detail a day 323

2011-08-31T15:29:00.002-05:00

manipulation is the tool of the powerless

detail a day 322

2011-08-30T20:08:00.001-05:00

the only woman at the bar,
our stools so close
when the regular beside me
throws back his shot,
his elbow grazes my shoulder

detail a day 321

2011-08-30T14:14:00.002-05:00

we walk the overgrown trail,
tall weeds tickling our shins

detail a day 320

2011-08-30T14:13:00.002-05:00

each man
who speaks
in his broken voice

detail a day 319

2011-08-25T19:47:00.000-05:00

i don't think there's anything more gorgeous
than corrugate rusted to hues--
indigoes and oranges--
nature produces

detail a day 318

2011-08-24T09:48:00.002-05:00

my sister and i talk on the sidewalk,
he bursts through on his cell:
i just shoved my gun in that bitch's face, yo!
may all beings be happy.

detail a day 317

2011-08-23T09:06:00.002-05:00

bottled water and batteries

detail a day 316

2011-08-22T17:56:00.000-05:00

"Even her cookbook is highly radioactive."

(on Marie Curie, via)

detail a day 315

2011-08-20T12:08:00.002-05:00

hint of tattoo through sweater holes

detail a day 314

2011-08-20T10:43:00.000-05:00

"Even when the president is not in town, people who know this place well have “sweet spots” where they sometimes, inexplicably, get cell signals. Mrs. Taylor said visitors to her inn could often make calls from the 13th flagstone on the front walkway."
(via)

detail a day 313

2011-08-18T14:53:00.000-05:00

There is nothing so elegant as a rattlesnake's tail.
--American Indian proverb
(via)

detail a day 312

2011-08-18T14:24:00.001-05:00

I feed the pistachios we couldn't crack to a squirrel,
his incisors scissor easily through the shells,
as he watches me with one shining black eye.

detail a day 311

2011-08-17T17:56:00.000-05:00

"And fans in New York cheered me to the echo when I left the field."

--Ty Cobb
(via, text)

detail a day 310

2011-08-17T16:24:00.002-05:00

north side, south hills,
now that we live together,
we teach each other
the winding shortcuts we took
through our childhood
neighboorhoods

detail a day 309

2011-08-17T16:21:00.003-05:00

trendy collegiates carry umbrellas in the sun

detail a day 308

2011-08-14T18:42:00.000-05:00

"It should be noted that human skeletal remains interred in historic graves in the 19th century may contain high levels of arsenic, mercury, or other heavy metals. These elements were used in the embalming process and could potentially poison archeologists in the field or osteologists in the lab."

(via)

detail a day 307

2011-08-12T18:42:00.000-05:00

London Bridge is broken down,
Falling down, falling down.
London Bridge is falling down,
My fair lady.

Build it up with wood and clay,
Wood and clay, wood and clay,
Build it up with wood and clay,
My fair lady.

Wood and clay will wash away,
Wash away, wash away,
Wood and clay will wash away,
My fair lady.

Build it up with bricks and mortar,
Bricks and mortar, bricks and mortar,
Build it up with bricks and mortar,
My fair lady.

Bricks and mortar will not stay,
Will not stay, will not stay,
Bricks and mortar will not stay,
My fair lady.

Build it up with iron and steel,
Iron and steel, iron and steel,
Build it up with iron and steel,
My fair lady.

Iron and steel will bend and bow,
Bend and bow, bend and bow,
Iron and steel will bend and bow,
My fair lady.

Build it up with silver and gold,
Silver and gold, silver and gold,
Build it up with silver and gold,
My fair lady.

Silver and gold will be stolen away,
Stolen away, stolen away,
Silver and gold will be stolen away,
My fair lady.

Set a man to watch all night,
Watch all night, watch all night,
Set a man to watch all night,
My fair lady.

Suppose the man should fall asleep,
Fall asleep, fall asleep,
Suppose the man should fall asleep?
My fair lady.

Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
Smoke all night, smoke all night,
Give him a pipe to smoke all night,
My fair lady.

--Iona Opie and Peter Opie, The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes

detail a day 306

2011-08-12T09:42:00.002-05:00

when i wear my sister's clothes,
people compliment me all day.

detail a day 305

2011-08-11T08:50:00.002-05:00

sunflowers bow,
heavy-headed as human infants

detail a day 304

2011-08-09T22:01:00.002-05:00

lightning the same white shade
as the moon it wraps its wings
around clear sky to swallow

detail a day 303

2011-08-09T21:56:00.002-05:00

lightning, thunder, call and response
we count the seconds between
to measure its closing distance

detail a day 302

2011-08-09T21:55:00.002-05:00

lightning flickers in the rolling clouds,
huge hollow rooms aglow

detail a day 301

2011-08-09T15:49:00.004-05:00

pushpaw yelps as i snip dreadlocks from her coat

detail a day 300

2011-08-09T15:48:00.001-05:00

quick as a cat,
the praying mantis snatches a beetle from the squash leaf above
and swallows it whole

detail a day 299

2011-08-09T15:47:00.000-05:00

It took me an entire adolescence to craft the perfect hoodie:
olive green, kitten soft pile on the inside, deep hood,
slits cut into the cuffs for thumbs,
slide out the drawstring, poke a hole in the inner pocket for headphone wire,
fits long over my hips, cover up the breast logo with a patch or button,
attach a charm to the zipper pull,
slink in.

detail a day 298

2011-08-03T14:40:00.001-05:00

alone/all one

detail a day 297

2011-08-02T15:57:00.002-05:00

fellini high fives.

detail a day 296

2011-08-01T18:23:00.000-05:00

blur your gaze
like you're scanning for shooting stars

detail a day 295

2011-08-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

pearl kernels of fresh-picked corn

detail a day 294

2011-07-28T14:31:00.000-05:00

seeds i planted
now sunflowers
taller than me

detail a day 293

2011-07-28T10:04:00.001-05:00

making my grocery list, i realize
i could never survive in the wild.

detail a day 292

2011-07-27T21:46:00.000-05:00

lullaby

at night a truck
with a water tank
strapped to the bed
patrols the city
watering gardens

detail a day 291

2011-07-25T15:44:00.000-05:00

As I water the garden, a leaf leaps off its stalk
and hustles to the basil: praying mantis
running for higher ground.
I aim the spray elsewhere
as the thunder growls closer.

detail a day 290

2011-07-24T19:47:00.001-05:00

spindle, apple, slipper

detail a day 289

2011-07-24T19:45:00.001-05:00

shooting star, hummingbird

detail a day 288

2011-07-24T19:43:00.003-05:00

smooth blue veins
of my grandmothers' hands

detail a day 287

2011-07-21T13:52:00.000-05:00

so what, armstrong?
come the waxing,
every woman i know is on the moon.

(via here and here.)

detail a day 286

2011-07-21T09:17:00.000-05:00

we come home from work,
pop open two beer cans
and my love says from the doorway
let's go look at the garden

detail a day 285

2011-07-20T12:51:00.000-05:00

living on cigarettes and popcorn

(via)

detail a day 284

2011-07-19T14:20:00.001-05:00

fork scratches on our mismatched plates:
blessings

detail a day 283

2011-07-19T14:15:00.000-05:00

reminders i write on my palm
and forget

detail a day 282

2011-07-19T13:39:00.001-05:00

the green logs are hissing
as the fire decides
what it will tell you

detail a day 281

2011-07-19T13:38:00.000-05:00

blinking cursor of a C: prompt

detail a day 280

2011-07-19T13:35:00.000-05:00

Septuplets or stilettos,
reality's not something i see on tv.

detail a day 279

2011-07-19T13:33:00.003-05:00

radio silent

detail a day 278: Diehard edition

2011-07-19T13:33:00.000-05:00

Our hero will do his own stunts
barefoot in sweatpants.

--

Get this asshole a coca-cola
and cue the extras' Wilhelms.

detail a day 277

2011-07-19T13:18:00.000-05:00

In the park, a squirrel halfway up an oak threw a container of nacho cheese at me.

detail a day 276

2011-07-16T13:24:00.001-05:00

I am so deeply honored that my sister has chosen to wear a poem of mine on her skin.
I could not ask for a more beautiful place for my words to be printed.

detail a day 275

2011-07-15T10:50:00.002-05:00

parts per million

detail a day 274

2011-07-11T16:24:00.000-05:00

homeless man sleeping in the city park
in the hedges under the satellite dish

detail a day 273

2011-07-09T22:06:00.002-05:00

the stone age
the bronze age
the ice eaters

detail a day 272

2011-07-09T16:47:00.001-05:00

i used to write poems on my friends' cigarettes.
I'd completely forgotten that.

detail a day 271

2011-07-08T20:50:00.002-05:00

fellini sits in the open window
watching lightning bugs flare

detail a day 270

2011-07-08T13:54:00.001-05:00

At our parents' wedding, our teenage cousin babysat my sisters and i as we tore through the hallways above the reception, hurling frozen handfuls from the ice machine at each others' flower girl dresses.

detail a day 269

2011-07-07T11:46:00.002-05:00

through the trees and traffic
strains of a song you can almost place

detail a day 268

2011-07-06T17:56:00.000-05:00

cornstalks scrape edges
whispering

detail a day 267

2011-07-06T17:55:00.000-05:00

pregnant woman alone at the playground
watching the swings

detail a day 266

2011-07-04T21:09:00.001-05:00

after the fireworks,
the silent moon

detail a day 265

2011-07-03T22:30:00.002-05:00

baritone of radio shows' noir heroes