Ghostwritten
I am reading an anthology of short stories, 700 pages worth. I haven’t finished a single one. They are all the same, about rich girls sitting in…
Arts Appreciation
Of course, I live alone. It was not easy coming back to an empty apartment. I mean, I wasn’t totally on my own, not completely as an old maid; I was…
“Bringing Home the Bacon,” “Chopin and Savagery,” “Gabriel Garcia Márquez Knows His Stuff,” and Other Poems
Bringing Home the Bacon ---for Francis Bacon and David Sylvester (1966) The artist’s burden begins with us, the little people who’ve left their…
Cult of Excitements
What of the spiritual longings of atheists? What is one to make of them? Yearnings of solitude. Cosmic solicitations. Death of a salesman.…
“Deaf and Dumb” and “Preservation Society”
Deaf and Dumb The neighbors dropped by to say how superior Trump makes them feel. They love every minute of it. Never have my neighbors ever felt so…
“Aurora Taboo,” “On Humes,” “On Our Knees,” and Other Poems
Aurora Taboo Believing is seeing, they say…we are awash in strident belief, a belief scape, hogwash heaven. Each bears a haughty pout. There is no…
The Redneck Riviera
Not Speichergasse, but Martin Luther King Boulevard, a name almost without meaning in a country such as this. Think of Rosa Luxemburg Boulevard in…
“Ode to Timbuktu,” “Classical Allusions,” and “Lightning Strikes Twice”
Ode to Timbuktu If only our youth were engrossed with Prokofiev and Buddhism, as were Ezra Pound and his pals back in the day; if only the young…
“Your Inauguration Tote Bag,” “Embattled,” “Embattled, Part II,” and Other Poems
Your Inauguration Tote Bag Your inaugural tote bag, sir. I had just gone through three levels of security to be allowed into the stands so I could…
“Grand Canyon,” “Just Desserts,” “In China, Bathrooms Have No Stalls,” and Other Poems
Grand Canyon Men I know have given up. We are all told it is biological. Our bodies know the difference. Titty-bars attract the most. My best friend…
