Issue #20 (2011) PDF - myweb - Long Island University

All she has to show for it is a Japanese
kimono that her husband bought
during the war
All she has to show for it is
a mild case of temporary insanity
when she takes out the trash
All she has to show for it--a tire
with no treads
7
Walk downhill and you get
to the river. Stay in one place
and you can have it both ways.
The shadow of the hand
that reaches out for--a
leaf The disbelief on her face
as I bite her hand.
8
Sometimes you learn something you don‘t want to know. It was 1970 and we were driving up the
coast to Point Reyes. My mind floats out the window like smoke in the breeze. A little shimmer of
heat, bourbon and water, a granite lion. It was you all along, waiting in the parking lot after
midnight. It seemed at any moment, if there was a lapse of attention, a wave might break over the
rooftops and inundate the cobblestone streets where on a typical summer night you could see
people walking arm in arm, canvasing the small shops or eating dinner in an outdoor cafe. It takes all
my energy to appease my hunger. Put your money on a number and close your eyes as the wheel
spins.
9
Someone calls truce from the outhouse window
The same old wine in the same old bottle
The habits of a lifetime can be changed over night
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