7/24/12

desolation : souvenir

My book desolation : souvenir was published in early February by Omnidawn Publishing, and there was a publication event at Moe's Books in Berkeley. The book is available at stores includng Moe's and directly from Omnidawn, Small Press Distribution, and Amazon.com, among others. Thanks very much to Rusty Morrison and Ken Keegan.

Peter Burghardt's video of me reading: (http://vimeo.com/39803278)
Small Press Distribution: www.spdbooks.org.

Here are three pages of the of the 50-page title poem:

the taste of me is you

father is language
      mother its meaning
life is a sentence
      death is past time

the parents are aged
      by the death of their child
but her future is secure
      earth speaks trees
each clearing has its thicket
      mind its maze
her death is their pastime
      too short a life to discover

the shadows in a fire
      what future did she imagine
no time even
      to witness a change of fashion

the taste of me is you

the song is called an ‘air’
     the weight of earth is speaking
the loss of each word massive
     dead flowers, living grave

so poorly loved
     now dearly understood
our friend of the hours lost
      no desert to cross to save you

we were two of you
      & you were time aching
so sweet it’s almost suffering
     the ghost of us is passing

eternity really means it

we’ll fiercely live forever
      we who still remember
the bee inside a flower
      we let the moon run
because it is old
      and half underwater

have faith and you’ll eat dove
     in a dark corner of china 
its freshly chopped feet
      rolling in the broth
life is all the facts
      at the speed of attention
destiny’s souvenirs
      inexpensively purchased
a pair of stone scissors
      whatever calls out shining
children pretend to die
      come to life again, delighted

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