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small pleasures

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sheets, white, coarse redolent with Clorox

I Used to Be a Literature Major

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I remember reading poetry in the library / when I was in college, after skipping / Sociology, Psychology, or Theology. / I remember thinking: What is this nonsense? / I don’t want to waste my time on any of this.

Five Million Yen: Chapter 59

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Girolamo Dente was nodding off in his studio at Découvrir Art when he heard the alarm.

our last time

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If you had gotten pregnant our last time, in 1967 (when you lied and told me “I guess I’m finally over you,”) then our son could have been that man you saw with the drooping moustache and his coattails flying in the lobby of the building in Louisville,

sidewalk cafe at night. van Gogh

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The heart of those stars is a dab of yellow light. The darkness of the blue night appearing so deep because of the downward strokes of the actual sky interspersed with a violet that is almost black above the truly black silhouettes of the city buildings

The old man in the window is probably scarier than he looks.

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It loomed -- unavoidable.

Lola

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I know you through the rich dark brown soilcrumbling in my fingers like chocolate cake.I imagine you nurtured bell-shaped papayas,coaxing their smooth, leathery skinfrom green to yellow,while mangoes, the colors of the island sunset,hung with their tantalizing sweet…

The Executioner

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No one knows where the wind comes from, but sure as hell it comes. The executioner glances round the reception area. Nods to himself. Function versus form. Anodyne, instantly forgettable, like hotel rooms. Perfect.

Passing a Church

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Does God feel the same way / whenever you practice your indifference toward me

Write me a Will

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Write me a Will you laughing boy,

CHAIN

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I awake to find a heavy chain shackled around my ankle. I try to remove it but cannot. The length of the chain runs through my apartment, sometimes coiling around itself, but eventually leading out my front door.

My Father Said, "I Miss the Game."

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Of course he misses it,

Suspicion

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A woman confronts her suspicions about her husband's fidelity.

Bigfoot Night

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The giant stood up and scowled menacingly. "WHAT! You don't think bigfoot is real?!" Big John's face seemed about ready to scowl in on itself.

Path

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a man sees salamander bands / a-cracklin on the scree

Advice to the Lovelorn at the Mall

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Beware of shouting Dress Barn, Dress Barn! when having an orgasm And don’t tell him you were seeing Starbucks when you came

Old Joke

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How many exceptional people/ does it take to change a light bulb?

Salzburg

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One night while in rehab I had a dream that I worked as a violin maker in Salzburg.

Ways of Seeing: Carracci

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I have become interested in Carracci / Ludovico Carracci

13 circles of Hell revealed to the Bird King in a series of hallucinations caused by medicine for a urinary tract infection

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1. The Kingdom of MaggotsBillions of tiny naked bald men wriggle and squirm through a derelict mannequin factory.2. The Sea of KnivesThe crests of waves slice and slash. Maimed mermaids wail.3. The Eye MoonEnvious mirrors ape the sun. An astronaut falls forever into open…

I

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I thought of you todayand what you put me throughthe time you saidwe couldn't rest.

Napomo 17: April 1-6

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April spit its greeting, toe to head.

Eulogy

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In one hand she cradles a cigarette, in the other a glass of red wine. Typically neither of these things would be allowed in here, and on this occasion it was thought that it would be better to let her do what she wanted.

End Time

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and you fall down.

The First Fifth

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The first time that Beethoven’s Fifth was played, people ran into the streets.

The Violent Kind

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But my point is, this isn’t a Thomas Kinkade. It’s not like you can pay me fifty dollars and I can drive to the Twombly store and buy another Twombly.

the open road

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There are moments in life where it's like you're driving late at night and you should be on your way home but really you're just rolling along aimlessly through the city streets when suddenly you turn a corner and realize the road is open and empty for miles to come, a…

Myra's Mind

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She once told me that cleanliness is next to godliness, but I think everything is next to godliness, if you care enough to pay attention.

Philip Guston, Painting, Smoking, Eating

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As far as I can tell, all he eats is wedges of cake from the plate on top of his blanket as he lies there in bed, smoking cigarettes and staring up at the painting of a pile of shoes. Or else this is a real pile of shoes building up beside the

Red Lady Octopus

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I hand one of them the octopus and run out of the room.