poetry & poetics ︎︎︎︎
ASSEMBLING THE MORROW: A POETICS OF SLEEP
Talonbooks (2014)
[Excerpt from “Non-REM 3 and 4 Sleep, 6:19:10–6:19:43 a.m.”]
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GOSSIPING WITH THE GODS
Selected transcriptions of automatic writing
(2017)
gossip’s roots
the
news
came
too
soon
I liked
the way
it felt I
had no control
news
came
too
soon
I liked
the way
it felt I
had no control
recipe 1
go to house
find a person’s last dream
take your spit
take their blood
mix
sleep
wake
tell someone
go to house
find a person’s last dream
take your spit
take their blood
mix
sleep
wake
tell someone
recipe 3
for your neighbor
bend 4 metal prongs
on Tuesday
shave all beards
walk sideways
whistle
feel the
darkness
whither are you
for your neighbor
bend 4 metal prongs
on Tuesday
shave all beards
walk sideways
whistle
feel the
darkness
whither are you
you put your
mouth near
my mouth and
speak
mouth near
my mouth and
speak
7 years
6 wandering thoughts
5 pieces of saliva
≠ solitude
6 wandering thoughts
5 pieces of saliva
≠ solitude
“she”
“told”
“me”
“that”
“story” Daphne
“about”
“who”
Danger “bleeds”
“first”
“told”
“me”
“that”
“story” Daphne
“about”
“who”
Danger “bleeds”
“first”
y/n
then i saw
the sun rise
who are
you
then i saw
the sun rise
who are
you
Did you hear the news?
Daphne — I saw her
Debbie — I waited
Daughter — she says
Disney — she doesn’t exist
Delta — she calls
Daphne — I saw her
Debbie — I waited
Daughter — she says
Disney — she doesn’t exist
Delta — she calls
THE TIME IS
The Town Crier (2018)[Excerpt]
1
Now, the deities are thirsty
They smell the heat of the memories, the pulse of our blood lies
Earlier I was in a metro station
There was a girl wearing a red woolen skirt
She had no upper body
I thought, I’m catching a glimpse of the unreal
But she bent up, became whole
She’d just scooped a coin from the ground
I could see its mawkish glimmer from the rim of my vision
Her body unfolded, the body’s alchemy
I thought, we are bathed in the costly enjambment of glamour
By a vision diluted to the shimmy of currence
So take up a pencil
Sketch an orchid in puce
For the light of the city folds upon itself
in thick
grey
pleats
Rain falters from the crown of the sky
You know how it is: tireless, amniotic
The branches of the trees have gone mad with waiting and point accusingly to the codes of their offspring
Lightning highlights the stems of ruby shoots
Sapphire petals
Leaves in its tender wake a trail
Of singed and ruffled branches
Bygone feathers
Songbird casualties
We are copious presence
We are unknowing emergency
Later I will return to the house of my ancestors and though it has long since crumbled to ashes I will open the pages of their daybooks I will see they’ve gone absent without notice lifetimes of pillage vaulted to smithereens. What is the draw of sanity? The scenery and I
I and
the scenery
The scenery and I
I and
the scenery
The scenery and I
I and
The scenery alone
I am
Within earshot of energy
Read full poem
1
Now, the deities are thirsty
They smell the heat of the memories, the pulse of our blood lies
Earlier I was in a metro station
There was a girl wearing a red woolen skirt
She had no upper body
I thought, I’m catching a glimpse of the unreal
But she bent up, became whole
She’d just scooped a coin from the ground
I could see its mawkish glimmer from the rim of my vision
Her body unfolded, the body’s alchemy
I thought, we are bathed in the costly enjambment of glamour
By a vision diluted to the shimmy of currence
So take up a pencil
Sketch an orchid in puce
For the light of the city folds upon itself
in thick
grey
pleats
Rain falters from the crown of the sky
You know how it is: tireless, amniotic
The branches of the trees have gone mad with waiting and point accusingly to the codes of their offspring
Lightning highlights the stems of ruby shoots
Sapphire petals
Leaves in its tender wake a trail
Of singed and ruffled branches
Bygone feathers
Songbird casualties
We are copious presence
We are unknowing emergency
Later I will return to the house of my ancestors and though it has long since crumbled to ashes I will open the pages of their daybooks I will see they’ve gone absent without notice lifetimes of pillage vaulted to smithereens. What is the draw of sanity? The scenery and I
I and
the scenery
The scenery and I
I and
the scenery
The scenery and I
I and
The scenery alone
I am
Within earshot of energy
Read full poem
[Excerpt]
We need to kill the voice inside us that says hush
For, those said to defend us injured us, those said to love us hurt us
We are done, today, with the benefit of the doubt
We are done, today, with just-wait-it-out
We are done, today, with be-the-bigger-person
We are done, today, with a love that stands alone and only feels the coldness of the clearing it’s met with
We are ready to be the flame
The heat
We need to kill the voice inside us that says hush
For, those said to defend us injured us, those said to love us hurt us
We are done, today, with the benefit of the doubt
We are done, today, with just-wait-it-out
We are done, today, with be-the-bigger-person
We are done, today, with a love that stands alone and only feels the coldness of the clearing it’s met with
We are ready to be the flame
The heat