Wet Asses

What a sad yet drole state you place me in
you under torrential skies, airfullwetpellets
and I sitting with sinking warmth and sinking in cool
damp aerated pellets, slimy, matted grass
and quiet thoughtful words passed in smiles
even words and heads are distracted with vision
turning every way and each way
because every way and each way is worth, is worthy
but you, sad Eeyore, stand in solitude
stand in rain.
at least it's not torrential flies.

resumes!

resume review of resumes
return, renew, return, renew
regurgitate responsibilities
in-right *click* right *click*-rowing,
resuscitate rendezvous of wrestling and
renderings of writing
recall, remember
renditions of Rodin-redone, rethought, restructured-
recapture une randonnee en rural Roussillon
resume review of resumes.

Spring Service Thursday

spring service thursday springing into the fishbowl
arms and smiles full: "caroline, where do you want this?
where do we meet?
what are we doing?
caroline, when does it start?"
some might be worried about 250,000 corps
that is 175,000 more
but there are at least sixty ready
to organize supplies, pick up trash.
tasks so necessary
but forgotten, worse scorned.
these are professionals
on this spring service thursday.

When is the When

When you fall asleep
-fall asleep-
no hesitations.
sunken but not drunken
not because you're tired
but because that is all there is
and that's all there needs to be.

When you call yourself a woman
even when bared, not embarrassed
first your thoughtspast, but your skin
and then even and finally your family.

That is when.

sometimes there almost is a when
but sometimes isn't even most times
and almost isn't ever when.

Raising Time

People with time
are people who can care
usually do care
and it's taken so long to get that time
they are wise with how they care
and they listen
because they've got time
and they know they've only got so much time
with their time.

Blog.

Finding the perfect words, combinations
I do it to replay the book most familiar
I do it-I repeat-to listen
to the tones, rhythms of words
and I repeat to remember
I repeat to respect
who I am,
what I've learned.
I repeat to feel
down my white ass throat and
extended fingertips and tightened lungs
and I remember repeat respect
and I feel.

Top Ten

In honor of Bowl Cone, this is my top ten list of favorite things, in no particular order (minus the obvious: family, friends, Prospect Park, West Hartford, Eastham, life etc.).

1. Running when it feels good.
2. The color pink.
3. Spring showers when it is sunny out.
4. Stories, novels, songs, and things that match their titles really well (Hard Times = Hard Times, Heart of Darkness = Heart of Darkness!).
5. Chocolate milkshakes or malts with french fries.
6. Flowers and really good gardens.
7. Miniature Schnauzers with floppy ears.
8. Being ridiculous.
9. Making lists.
10. Historical Preservation.

there is this ice rink behind Johnson

behind Johnson
within three hundred and fifty
feet
footsteps away
we walked-more like we stumbled-
on an ACT break
into a sequin, fairy haven
this was the nutcracker on ice
and it was iced
it was white and iced
it had hordes of groupies
all clutching handbags
and clutching breath as the fairies attempted
clutches on ice
in air.

clutching breath as hordes of
college bound scholars-
thoseasianblackmexicans-stopthinkingthat-theyarewithawhitegirl-
clutching thoughts.

who were these?
superhuman,
otherworldly?

and to think,
we've never been here.
behind the cloaks in our wardrobe
but shouldn't we own this
in our pride
our
Johnson pride.
Let's mural that on this rink.

this ain't no white girl neighborhood

and ours isn't exactly a welcome
but we followed a path
we thought it was secret
tangled branches
crooked cracks
weeds overgrown in that
back alley
the only similarity
was the wall
it followed us on the
secret.
and really the secret was obvious
it was sad, only for us,
because the weather
gathered outside
on porches and curbs
and lawns and under
shaded trees and
running, laughing, tricking
older brothers who
can't stay too cool.
but not for white girls.
we ran in
secret.
and we ran out
in secret.

Student Recruitment

accepted students
listed with wait
listed students
listed without
rejected or
incomplete-
applications, not students-
complete the listed
students
87 who want to go

at 40 that makes ours a selective school.

even with ineligible outliers
GPAs at 1.74 or just .74
$108,000 annual
but he still works
at Holiday over
the holidays.
others in other programs
but they say they want more.
much more than Century
or Saint Paul College.
these students, some
could want, could achieve
Macalester, Carleton, Grinell,
Lawerence
it's just a two year for them.
check the list.
check your fate.

Loans keep coming due

A pedant-
of his own-
pedagogy
and paper trails
of his past and his
future.
Proust, Eliot
Today was Christopher Hill-
a Marxist historian-
certainly an Englishman.

ponder
in your poetry.
place your thoughts
in words.
he'll inspire to
ponderings and
further
and perspicacious
ponderings
and further
ponderings and
further.

Mary Savant and IQ scores
and ACT scores and
scores of
PhD. programs
te preparer
a parle en Francais et en Allemand
et
that is prior
to possible
admission.
Is it still practical, still pertinent
to ponder?
and further?

untitled 5

funny how until
just until
you smile
I wait
wondering if you will.
and it's silly
silly that I'm still
waiting
even after your hand
encloses mine.
it's all the more exciting.

I can always return.
go back to such pride
proud independence
stubborn-annoyingly so-

I'll take your smile
I'll anticipate
anticipate as I wait.