Even howthe crowwalks iscriss crossesas thougheach stepchecked thelast. No oneknows whyhe advancesas well as hedoes orcould expectthat laughablecroak to workin so manycircumstances. —Kay Ryan Kay Ryan’s most recent book is The…
Only the one ismusical, actually.The others areordinary, mostlyfrom the kitchen.Not a peep ofmusic out of themas they are takenfrom rotation. Mumchairs, tunelessracks, dumbsticks,next to theescalating operaticravishmentsof banishmentsung to the childrenby…
—Francisco de Zurbarán Like twogiant’s hands,shade andgravity colludeto squeeze awaythe light and leavethe clay, ruedZurbarán. Whichmeans he has tofind a counter wayto paint, unless hewants his orangestoo to stick, gluedinto…
Like standingon splitting iceone foot on oneone on theother piece.Distressed likethe family of manat the divorceof the plates:some cast intoa suddenly newworld as thoughhaving sinned;those kept behindtrapped andbereft. But ina…
...one sometimes does have a sense thatthere is a double floor someplace...—W. G. Sebald The dual pupiledfrog eye canscan for foodand troubleabove and belowthe water at once. Many forms ofdoubleness…
If in timeour treadcan softenmarble thenit’s alsopossible thatwords coulddish in themiddle whenread enough.Don’t you feelthat troughin certainlines brimminglike rain inan epitaph? —Kay Ryan Kay Ryan's most recent book of poems is Erratic…
The nurse is a prince—he laughs at my jokes,and I like anyone who laughs at my jokes—plus I’ve been here a lot and know the drilland don’t bitch to him…
The death I seecoming to mestops to chatmore frequently. "How's my good man?"he asks, all grinand bonhomie.He can get in any body-hole.I squeeze mine shut,don't even breathe.He can hear what…