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.