other people’s poems

Monday, January 10, 2011

  that kid in the green asked me about                         

                        sandcastles
                                     so i placed him in the morning

all dogs at doors will have broken noses
    and all hand in hand will be referred to as
                                                             i could do that

        i cleaned my fingernails with the corner of your book
                claws at your words             i wanted them inside my       hand

a man on the subway was missing the tips of fingers
     holding on just the same
i wanted to search his

home for letters
    the ones falling off the beginning of my words
this motive this motive      that moves you

                        i held them once            from inside my gloves

            i read a poem and stopped shaving
            i read your poem and stopped

    words in book in hand in hand
with the names of
                      women who autographed                       my fingertips

            how did you write my book
                                             where did you find my words

one cultivated her handwriting            to have me
                                                  shelving books by color

                                                  we waved our hands above our heads
                                                  looked for each other’s missing inches
                                                  measured them with fingertips  

this next poem
           starts with

Saturday, January 1, 2011