Dogs hang in my throat trying to push past my heart.
The angel disapproves of the terror
needing to be pulled out—
Shoulders cracking
in protest…
Whole bodies sobbing against this life.
Previous version published in Cantaraville Five…
Tall blonde looking
for: individual with body
mass index of 25 or better,
IQ must fall between 130-140,
Resting blood pressure should
not exceed 120/70, head
circumference of 25″- 30″
preferred.
Must have perfect lungs.
Previously published in Snow Monkey…
for Eric
If I knew that those Sunday-school stories I heard would become
a ball of uncertainty rolling around inside me,
if my parents hadn’t kicked me out for dating the youth pastor wannabe,
and I hadn’t moved in with the married lesbian.…
After teaching an astronomical number of classes this Fall, I am taking some time to catch-up on the myriad of tasks that have fallen by the wayside. First, OVS submissions. Second, my submissions to journals and magazines are in dire need of attention.…
Today is the 3rd day of my last MFA residency at New England College. It has been exciting and nerve racking since I arrived. Yesterday I presented my “lecture” on Merwin’s “The Night of the Shirts”, and tonight I will find out if I passed.…
Turkey day was a blast. I spent most of my day dancing around the kitchen with my friend Mike as we cooked and cleaned our way to a Thanksgiving feast. The little bit of downtime we had was spent playing Magic the Gathering with my daughters and Stephen, my husband.…
This question often comes up in writing workshops, and classes. Audience is important to consider when you are sending your work out for publication, but I find it can be limiting to think about it too much when actually writing. Let’s face it, sometimes we feel vulgar so we write it, or we may feel romantic, and we write that, etc. The other thing that I find impacts and influences my writing is what I read. If I am reading a collection of Ginsberg, then my style shifts to his ever so slightly.…