for Bill Berkson

lumbering           logging           lonesome

             lugging                                   muggy weather

numbs my brain

                         ha! (a little shout off the machine
                               —thanks Van)

          separate sounds clapping

                                        (clap clap clap clap clap clap

                  inside your head

                                                 voice line
                                                 bass line
                                                 treble line
                                                 air line

                                                                  taking off!

          you are your head
          you are a head
          & you are those sounds emanating within

                                                     so...

                                                      * GO ON LIVING *

                             (more! more! more! more!)

heh! that guitar just jumped from one ear to the other

& THE GREAT ATLANTIC CABLE IS FREAKING OUT!

please don’t use that word “freaking” not again

                      Okay

                            The Great Atlantic Cable is nodding out

tho it’s not the same thing at all

      PU           AT           IN           ON           YO           EMS

      (trans: Put that in one of your poems,

                                       Anne                    I think he said

                                          & so I did
                                          & so it is
                                          & so what?

                                                                          so what?

did you say so what?

                            good morning baby
                            baby good night

good morning baby
baby good night

good night baby
baby good baby

good morning morning
baby good morning

good baby baby
baby good good

good night good morning
good night good night

good baby good
good baby baby

night baby morning
night baby night

night night night
moming baby morning

baby baby baby
baby baby baby

morning morning night
night baby morning

baby night baby
morning morning morning

goodbye baby
baby bye bye

good baby morning
good baby night

                            baby table
                            baby chair
                            baby wall
                            baby bed

         we’re gonna stay here forever so don’t wait up

don’t get claustrophobic either

             there’s a lot of space if you look in the right places

* (between the lines!) *

                                                               looked & looked

o rapture & destr

                         o phantom brain wha ?

& then something took hold of me

                                           no, not a baby arm

I think it was the BIG REALITY

                               (disguised as a baby)

    Lord Lord Lord
        I’m so tired

                  Now I’m not

                                  now I am

    can’t decide

                 disaster button
                 dilemma cushion

    here,

           have a seat in the Magic Tree

It’ll give you a whole new “take” on the situation

                                                                if you’re ready

    I’m sitting here in a completely new place myself tonight

           closer to nature

                               the good-natured “close”

with a heavy thought on my brain

                             it weighs 20 lbs at least

      & has no place to go except the top

                      So

                   if you see me tomorrow help me out from under

         into the air of your kind gaze

                                 (Bill)

warmth surrounds the circle as you cheer them on, em on

HOME PAGE IMAGE: DRAWING TOGETHER (2000) by LINCOLN PERRY, FROM ISSUE NO. 218, FALL 2016.