Day Eleven, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016

fish

My poem “I Danced with a Platypus Twenty Years Back” has been posted among today’s offerings of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (9 poets have agreed to write 30 poems apiece in 30 days, to raise funds for Tupelo Press, a non-profit literary publisher). I am grateful to Kris, who provided the title and also sponsored last year’s “Happy Circuitry.”

I Danced with a Platypus Twenty Years Back

Which is of course a metaphor pointing out
disparities in function and form, and the dangers
inherent in assumption: despite its cute appearance,
the male platypus delivers venom through an ankle…

Click here to see the rest of the poem.

Tomorrow’s poem, “Nanukatukitsukatsu,” was sponsored by Patricia Wolfkill, who also sponsored last year’s “28 Rue St. Jacques.”

Title sponsorships and 3-word sponsorships are still available. And remember, you can combine the two (as in Sunday’s poem) to force me to use not only your title, but also three words that I’d likely not use on my own. And can anyone challenge last year’s co-winners of Worst Title in the History of the 30/30 Project, Ron, Plain Jane and Mek?*

The  sponsored poems are a blast to write, and the titles lead me to poems I’d not otherwise conceive. If you’re inclined to sponsor a poem, Donate to Tupelo, and please let me know as soon as possible what your title is or which three words you’ve foisted upon me.

If you need something to read, Think Dink! A $30 donation will get you my 2015 chapbook If Your Matter Could Reform, Barton Smock’s Infant Cinema, Jamie Hunyor’s A New Sea, and Tim Kahl’s full length work, The String of Islands, thanks to the generosity of Dink Press founder and editor Kristopher Taylor!  A limited quantity is available, so order earlier rather than later.

For information on sponsorships (and my other incentives), click here.

Thank you for supporting poetry! Only 19 poems to go!

* The titles are, respectively, “Calvin Coolidge: Live or Memorex,” “Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven,” and “Reduce Heat and Simmer Gently Without Cloud Cover, Till Sundown. Serves 2 – 7 Billion.” “Nose-Picking Reese’s Hider” is definitely a strong contender for this honor.

Day Ten, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

My poem “I’m Not With Her” has been posted among today’s offerings of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (9 poets have agreed to write 30 poems apiece in 30 days, to raise funds for Tupelo Press, a non-profit literary publisher). I am grateful to Stephanie Kaufman, who provided the title and also sponsored last year’s “Bent.”

I’m Not With Her

Pointing out inequities, I admit
to having second thoughts – a piggy bank

on his dresser, really?  And that tattoo,
not to mention the socks with sandals…

Click here to see the rest of the poem.

Tomorrow’s poem, “I Danced with a Platypus Twenty Years Back,” was sponsored by Kris, who also sponsored last year’s “Happy Circuitry.”

If you need something to read, Think Dink! A $30 donation will get you my 2015 chapbook If Your Matter Could Reform, Barton Smock’s Infant Cinema, Jamie Hunyor’s A New Sea, and Tim Kahl’s full length work, The String of Islands, thanks to the generosity of Dink Press founder and editor Kristopher Taylor!  A limited quantity is available, so order earlier rather than later.

Title sponsorships and 3-word sponsorships are still available. And remember, you can combine the two (as in Sunday’s poem) to force me to use not only your title, but also three words that I’d likely not use on my own. And can anyone challenge last year’s co-winners of Worst Title in the History of the 30/30 Project, Ron, Plain Jane and Mek?*

The  sponsored poems are a blast to write, and the titles lead me to poems I’d not otherwise conceive. If you’re inclined to sponsor a poem, Donate to Tupelo, and please let me know as soon as possible what your title is or which three words you’ve foisted upon me.

For information on sponsorships (and my other incentives), click here.

Thank you for supporting poetry! Only 20 poems to go!

* The titles are, respectively, “Calvin Coolidge: Live or Memorex,” “Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven,” and “Reduce Heat and Simmer Gently Without Cloud Cover, Till Sundown. Serves 2 – 7 Billion.” “Nose-Picking Reese’s Hider” is definitely a strong contender for this honor.

Day Nine, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016

romeo

My poem “Lovely Darling, Hot and Fair” has been posted among today’s offerings of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (9 poets have agreed to write 30 poems apiece in 30 days, to raise funds for Tupelo Press, a non-profit literary publisher). I am grateful to Mary Tang, who provided the title and has also translated a number of my poems and recorded them  in Cantonese.

Lovely Darling, Hot and Fair

I no longer compare but allow them
to multiply in each vowel I speak,
expanding through the night’s coat and its hem
of ghostly stars dotted through the oblique…

Click here to see the rest of the poem.

Tomorrow’s poem, “I’m Not With Her,” was sponsored by Stephanie Kaufman, who also sponsored last year’s “Bent.”

If you need something to read, Think Dink! A $30 donation will get you my 2015 chapbook If Your Matter Could Reform, Barton Smock’s Infant Cinema, Jamie Hunyor’s A New Sea, and Tim Kahl’s full length work, The String of Islands, thanks to the generosity of Dink Press founder and editor Kristopher Taylor!  A limited quantity is available, so order earlier rather than later.

Title sponsorships and 3-word sponsorships are still available. And remember, you can combine the two (as in Sunday’s poem) to force me to use not only your title, but also three words that I’d likely not use on my own. And can anyone challenge last year’s co-winners of Worst Title in the History of the 30/30 Project, Ron, Plain Jane and Mek?*

The  sponsored poems are a blast to write, and the titles lead me to poems I’d not otherwise conceive. If you’re inclined to sponsor a poem, Donate to Tupelo, and please let me know as soon as possible what your title is or which three words you’ve foisted upon me.

For information on sponsorships (and my other incentives), click here.

Thank you for supporting poetry! Only 21 poems to go!

* The titles are, respectively, “Calvin Coolidge: Live or Memorex,” “Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven,” and “Reduce Heat and Simmer Gently Without Cloud Cover, Till Sundown. Serves 2 – 7 Billion.” “Nose-Picking Reese’s Hider” is definitely a strong contender for this honor.

Day Eight, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016

fruitcake

My poem “Tupelo TripTik” has been posted among today’s offerings of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (9 poets have agreed to write 30 poems apiece in 30 days, to raise funds for Tupelo Press, a non-profit literary publisher). I am grateful to Ken Gierke, who sponsored and provided this title, as well as last year’s “Pinecone on a Pedestal, Open Poet.”

Tupelo TripTik

If we fold the map just so, the journey’s path
shortens considerably. Sacramento enters the Hudson
Valley, Toronto meets Santa Fe, and Lee County,
Mississippi merges with Tupelo, Texas, joining music…

Click here to see the rest of the poem.

Tomorrow’s poem, “Lovely, Darling, Hot and Fair,” was sponsored by Mary Tang, who has also translated a number of my poems into Cantonese.

If you need something to read, Think Dink! A $30 donation will get you my 2015 chapbook If Your Matter Could Reform, Barton Smock’s Infant Cinema, Jamie Hunyor’s A New Sea, and Tim Kahl’s full length work, The String of Islands, thanks to the generosity of Dink Press founder and editor Kristopher Taylor!  A limited quantity is available, so order earlier rather than later.

Title sponsorships and 3-word sponsorships are still available. And remember, you can combine the two (as in yesterday’s poem) to force me to use not only your title, but also three words that I’d likely not use on my own. And can anyone challenge last year’s co-winners of Worst Title in the History of the 30/30 Project, Ron, Plain Jane and Mek?*

The  sponsored poems are a blast to write, and the titles lead me to poems I’d not otherwise conceive. If you’re inclined to sponsor a poem, Donate to Tupelo, and please let me know as soon as possible what your title is or which three words you’ve foisted upon me.

For information on sponsorships (and my other incentives), click here.

Thank you for supporting poetry! Only 22 poems to go!

* The titles are, respectively, “Calvin Coolidge: Live or Memorex,” “Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven,” and “Reduce Heat and Simmer Gently Without Cloud Cover, Till Sundown. Serves 2 – 7 Billion.” “Nose-Picking Reese’s Hider” is definitely a strong contender for this honor.

Day Seven, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016

trainstop

My poem xxx has been posted among today’s offerings of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (9 poets have agreed to write 30 poems apiece in 30 days, to raise funds for Tupelo Press, a non-profit literary publisher). Many thanks to Paul Vaughan, who provided the title, and Clyde Long, who offered three words: klaxon, denouement and ichor.

The Three Disappointments of Pedro Arturo

The difficulty lies in denying the rest,
pretending the denouement remains unknotted
like that length of rope looped over the branch,
unable to serve its purpose. I regret nothing,
but wish that perhaps I had dangled my feet…

Click here to see the rest of the poem.

Tomorrow’s poem, “Tupelo TripTik,” was sponsored by Ken Gierke, who also provided the title for last year’s “Pinecone on a Pedestal, Open Poet.”

Title sponsorships and 3-word sponsorships are still available. And remember, you can combine the two (as in today’s poem) to force me to use not only your title, but also three words that I’d likely not use on my own. And can anyone challenge last year’s co-winners of Worst Title in the History of the 30/30 Project, Ron, Plain Jane and Mek?*

The  sponsored poems are a blast to write, and the titles lead me to poems I’d not otherwise conceive. If you’re inclined to sponsor a poem, Donate to Tupelo, and please let me know as soon as possible what your title is or which three words you’ve foisted upon me.

If you can’t think of a title, Think Dink! A $30 donation will get you my 2015 chapbook If Your Matter Could Reform, Barton Smock’s Infant Cinema, Jamie Hunyor’s A New Sea, and Tim Kahl’s full length book, The String of Islands, thanks to the generosity of Dink Press founder and editor Kristopher Taylor!  A limited quantity is available, so order earlier rather than later.

For information on sponsorships (and my other incentives), click here.

Thank you for supporting poetry! Only 24 poems to go!

* The titles are, respectively, “Calvin Coolidge: Live or Memorex,” “Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven,” and “Reduce Heat and Simmer Gently Without Cloud Cover, Till Sundown. Serves 2 – 7 Billion.” “Nose-Picking Reese’s Hider” is definitely a strong contender for this honor.

Day Six, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016

flicker

My poem “The Trees are Burning at Midnight” has been posted among today’s offerings of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (9 poets have agreed to write 30 poems apiece in 30 days, to raise funds for Tupelo Press, a non-profit literary publisher). Many thanks to Charlotte Hamrick, who provided this title and also last year’s “With Summer’s Purpled Awe.”

The Trees Are Burning at Midnight

What signal tars this moon-blessed night?
And where may we find relief

in these hidden sights? The lure
is not the trap. The trap is not…

Click here to see the rest of the poem.

Tomorrow’s poem, “XXX,” was sponsored by Paul Vaughan, who provided the title, and Clyde Long, who offered three words.

Title sponsorships and 3-word sponsorships are still available. And remember, you can combine the two (as noted above) to force me to use not only your title, but also three words that I’d likely not use on my own. And can anyone challenge last year’s co-winners of Worst Title in the History of the 30/30 Project, Ron, Plain Jane and Mek?*

The  sponsored poems are a blast to write, and the titles lead me to poems I’d not otherwise conceive. If you’re inclined to sponsor a poem, Donate to Tupelo, and please let me know as soon as possible what your title is or which three words you’ve foisted upon me.

If you can’t think of a title, Think Dink! A $30 donation will get you my 2015 chapbook If Your Matter Could Reform, Barton Smock’s Infant Cinema, Jamie Hunyor’s A New Sea, and Tim Kahl’s full length book, The String of Islands, thanks to the generosity of Dink Press founder and editor Kristopher Taylor!  A limited quantity is available, so order earlier rather than later.

For information on sponsorships (and my other incentives), click here.

Thank you for supporting poetry! Only 24 poems to go!

* The titles are, respectively, “Calvin Coolidge: Live or Memorex,” “Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven,” and “Reduce Heat and Simmer Gently Without Cloud Cover, Till Sundown. Serves 2 – 7 Billion.” “Nose-Picking Reese’s Hider” is definitely a strong contender for this honor.

Day Five, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016

bus stop

My poem “The Bus Stops Here” has been posted among today’s offerings of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (9 poets have agreed to write 30 poems apiece in 30 days, to raise funds for Tupelo Press, a non-profit literary publisher). Many thanks to Jim Feeney, who provided this title and also last year’s “Never Drink Anything Blue.”

The Bus Stops Here

Your mind is a county fair
but the entrance shifts

every time I approach, and
the rides fade or hum away…

Click here to see the rest of the poem.

Tomorrow’s poem, “The Trees Burn at Midnight,” was sponsored by Charlotte Hamrick, who also sponsored last year’s “With Summer’s Purpled Awe.”

Title sponsorships and 3-word sponsorships are still available. And remember, you can combine the two to force me to use not only your title, but also three words that I’d likely not use on my own. And can anyone challenge last year’s co-winners of Worst Title in the History of the 30/30 Project, Ron, Plain Jane and Mek?*

The  sponsored poems are a blast to write, and the titles lead me to poems I’d not otherwise conceive. If you’re inclined to sponsor a poem, Donate to Tupelo, and please let me know as soon as possible what your title is or which three words you’ve foisted upon me.

If you can’t think of a title, Think Dink! A $30 donation will get you my 2015 chapbook If Your Matter Could Reform, Barton Smock’s Infant Cinema, Jamie Hunyor’s A New Sea, and Tim Kahl’s full length book, The String of Islands, thanks to the generosity of Dink Press founder and editor Kristopher Taylor!  A limited quantity is available, so order earlier rather than later.

For information on sponsorships (and my other incentives), click here.

Thank you for supporting poetry! Only 25 poems to go!

* The titles are, respectively, “Calvin Coolidge: Live or Memorex,” “Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven,” and “Reduce Heat and Simmer Gently Without Cloud Cover, Till Sundown. Serves 2 – 7 Billion.” “Nose-Picking Reese’s Hider” is definitely a strong contender for this honor.

Day Four, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016

sew

My poem “The Underbelly of This Seam” has been posted among today’s offerings of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (9 poets have agreed to write 30 poems apiece in 30 days, to raise funds for Tupelo Press, a non-profit literary publisher). Many thanks to Ursula, who provided this title and also last year’s “Before We Knew.”

The Underbelly of This Seam

Slides beneath your gaze, unnoticed,
but the joining satisfies that particular

urge, combining two separates
into one whole, creating this new…

Click here to see the rest of the poem.

Tomorrow’s poem, “The Bus Stops Here,” was sponsored by Jim Feeney, who also sponsored last year’s “Never Drink Anything Blue.”

While title sponsorships are steadily dwindling (about half remain), plenty of 3-word sponsorships are still available. And remember, you can combine sponsorships to force me to use not only your title, but also three words that I’d likely not use on my own. And can anyone challenge last year’s co-winners of Worst Title in the History of the 30/30 Project, Ron, Plain Jane and Mek?*

The  sponsored poems are a blast to write, and the titles lead me to poems I’d not otherwise conceive. If you’re inclined to sponsor a poem, Donate to Tupelo, and please let me know as soon as possible what your title is or which three words you’ve foisted upon me..

For information on sponsorships (and my other incentives), click here.

Thank you for supporting poetry! Only 26 poems to go!

* The titles are, respectively, “Calvin Coolidge: Live or Memorex,” “Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven,” and “Reduce Heat and Simmer Gently Without Cloud Cover, Till Sundown. Serves 2 – 7 Billion.” “Nose-Picking Reese’s Hider” is definitely a strong contender for this honor.

Day Three, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016

suds

My poem “Doing the Dishes in High Heels” has been posted among today’s offerings of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (9 poets have agreed to write 30 poems apiece in 30 days, to raise funds for Tupelo Press, a non-profit literary publisher). Many thanks to Pleasant Street, who provided the title. Pleasant also sponsored last year’s “A Cheese Omelet at Midnight.” Hmm. Is she conspiring with my wife to keep me in the kitchen?

Doing the Dishes in High Heels

I have seen you mowing the grass in open-toe
sandals, cigarette in mouth, cursing the dogs’ ill-placed

deposits, and I’ll never forget the night you sashayed
around the bed in negligee and flip flops while singing…

Click here to see the rest of the poem.

Tomorrow’s poem, “The Underbelly of This Seam,” was sponsored by Ursula, who sponsored last year’s “Before We Knew.”

While title sponsorships are steadily dwindling, plenty of 3-word sponsorships remain. And remember, you can combine sponsorships to force me to use not only your title, but also three words that I’d likely not use on my own. And can anyone challenge last year’s co-winners of Worst Title in the History of the 30/30 Project, Ron, Plain Jane and Mek?*

The  sponsored poems are a blast to write, and the titles lead me to poems I’d not otherwise conceive. If you’re inclined to sponsor a poem, Donate to Tupelo, and please let me know as soon as possible what your title is or which three words you’ve foisted upon me..

For information on sponsorships (and my other incentives), click here.

Thank you for your support! Only 27 poems to go!

* The titles are, respectively, “Calvin Coolidge: Live or Memorex,” “Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven,” and “Reduce Heat and Simmer Gently Without Cloud Cover, Till Sundown. Serves 2 – 7 Billion.” “Nose-Picking Reese’s Hider” is definitely a strong contender for this honor.

Day Two, Tupelo Press 30/30 Project, August 2016

banjo

My poem “While Listening to Fleck, Hussain and Meyer, I Consider Children’s Book Titles, Hops and the Ongoing Search for Meaning” has been posted among today’s offerings of the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project (8 poets have agreed to write 30 poems apiece in 30 days, to raise funds for Tupelo Press, a non-profit literary publisher). Many thanks to the wildly talented Stephanie L. Harper, who sponsored this piece and coerced me to use the words “monstrous glisson glop” in the body of the poem. I admit that she did not force me to use the form, but somehow it seemed necessary…

While Listening to Fleck, Hussain and Meyer,
I Consider Children’s Book Titles,
Hops and the Ongoing Search for Meaning

If we unravel the threads, removing
context, by what means do we regain it?
You say monstrous glisson glop, behooving
me to counter with a Williamette…

Click here to see the rest of the poem.

Tomorrow’s poem, “Doing the Dishes in High Heels,” was sponsored by Pleasant Street. I may have taken this one in a slightly different direction. Maybe not.

While title sponsorships are steadily dwindling, plenty of 3-word sponsorships remain. And remember, you can combine sponsorships to force me to use not only your title (can anyone challenge last year’s co-winners of Worst Title in the History of the 30/30 Project, Ron, Plain Jane and Mek?)* but also three words that I’d likely not use on my own.

The  sponsored poems are a blast to write, and the titles lead me to poems I’d not otherwise conceive. If you’re inclined to sponsor a poem, Donate to Tupelo, and please let me know as soon as possible what your title is or which three words you’ve foisted upon me..

For information on sponsorships (and my other incentives), click here.

Thank you for your support! Only 28 poems to go!

* The titles are, respectively, “Calvin Coolidge: Live or Memorex,” “Your Armpits Smell Like Heaven,” and “Reduce Heat and Simmer Gently Without Cloud Cover, Till Sundown. Serves 2 – 7 Billion.” “Nose-Picking Reese’s Hider” is definitely a strong contender for this honor.