Every morning, I pass a bronze statue of Moses.An idiom got lost, once, somewhere along the golden chain,among the Hebrew and Aramaic, the Latin and Greek;Moses’s “shining face” morphed into a “horned head.”On each temple, he wears a little metal nub.Every morning, I pass a bronze replica of Moses,and I’m terrifiedby how much Sculptors and... Continue Reading →
An ancient bottle of Cholula hidesin the cargo hold of my galley’scold shelves. I dump it overboardinto the sink, survey limp celeryand carrots in the hydrator, noticetheir leaves, slimy as seaweed,then settle down to make coffee—I tip in the last dredges of plant-based milk.From the bridge of my porch, I chartthe stars adrift on a... Continue Reading →
Peppy the Poodle’s dark nails clatterbetween the white carpet and whitesatin plastic-covered couch.In the kitchen, Barbie shows me how to sprinklepaprika on a bowl of cottage cheese, savor it,then quietly open the freezer loadedwith bars of chocolate-covered halva,taking one for herself, one for me.Her mother brings us with her to the salon—acetone-heavy rows of metal... Continue Reading →
Working class cottageshold no interest for speculators,or those who wish to restorethe elegance of nineteenth centuryhigh-button splendor,top hats and tails, calling cards in the foyer.Working class cottagesalways held the laborers.Factory workers on the line---Eastman Kodak assembly, Bauschand Lomb, Hickey Freeman immigrant handsstitching suits and making buttons.Working class cottagesraised up those who washedother people’s clothesin other... Continue Reading →
You can’t have me there.—El MiguelDraw me the wind if you can—I asked.Here it is—he replied,after dragging the pencilacross the blank sheetwithout leaving a mark.We looked into each other’s eyes—his face turned serious,but he snickered inside. More from this Author Read More in Poetry...
At times on the page of a bookthat hasn’t been openedfor years, or decades,I find a note, jotted in pencil,that reminds meof some unfinished business.It could be the beginning of a letter,a failed reconciliation,a visit planned but never paidfor fear of strong emotions.Today I press keys,send emoticons,post videos,often while I do all other things.I delude... Continue Reading →
A subject impossible to avoid.Yet still she tries,meandering into fantasylike side streetsin some far away land.Musing at how nice Crete must bethis time of year.Fleets of goats running down mountains,enough feta to sink a ship.It’s not that she’s afraid.She’s not.She’s ready and she knows it.It’s that birds do not turn back into seedsand with each... Continue Reading →
My grandma's dadworked with a man;this man's name was Rolando.They worked every dayin the sun or rain,nothing but trabajando.Then one dayRolando began to say,"I'm going to build a restaurante,no more sweating in the sun,cooking will be fun.No more work en adelante."He told of his dreamsand all of his schemes,"People will come far to eat my... Continue Reading →
how the desert breaksinto a sweat at night,how the silk of sandis knotted with burrshow certain butterflies in Africacan poison a cathow they say they found“buckling” water on the moonedible gold flowerswhite chocolate chipsgrape nuts(which are neither grapes nor nuts)how, before his death, my father said hewas abducted in Bolivia for seeding revolthow yours, a... Continue Reading →
Your hand can really wrap around a cup and tighten.Be thankful it's not your throat.Long after you've drunk its contents,you feel for insight in its smooth china surface,beyond its current shape back to manufacture,prototype, planning, even its ingredientsdeep in the earth.When the skin below your eye is bruised,you're out to feel the hurt in everything.How... Continue Reading →
