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It comes before that which it modifies
A clumsy lover, yet persistent and efficient
John hit Bob on the arm
Only John hit Bob on the arm
John only hit Bob on the arm
John hit only Bob on the arm
John hit Bob only on the arm
(or if Bob is an amputee)
John hit Bob on the only arm
Each lonely only wholly holy
Perfect in meaning
Luminous in righteous perfection
Misunderstood, a bastard word
Proud and fearful
Condemned to only work for fools

Fly in the wine glass
Indifferent to vintages
Climbs aboard my pen

1.
Innovation in increments:
Telegraph > telephone
Radio > television
When they made love
They named the baby wifi

2.
So it was/shall be
With Time Travel
No chrononauts
Hunting dinosaurs
Just the fibrillating
— . —
Of sent frags

3.
Concision counts!
Poets are/shall be
Greatly in demand

4.
Sent/To Be Sent
To me, age 14:
Drop chem, try bio
Skip pre-calc, seek
School newspaper

5.
You are as much
Your mother’s son
As your father’s
Show compassion

6.
All young women are
Beautiful/most young
Men are blind.

7.
Clothes communicate
Thus they matter
Stop fighting it

8.
Your personal problems
Are more manageable than
You imagine

9.
Your planet’s problems
Are much worse than
You imagine

10.
Express your interest
In women directly but politely
Nothing else works for you

11.
The friends you have now
Are yours for life
This is mostly a blessing

12.
We are animals that
Dreamed we are not
Animals. Observe the
Dream/try
Not to wake
From it.

Black blue red green gold
Ten thousand shimmering flies
Savor the cat shit

I’m walking the gravel road
in the space between storms.
The air is clean, the way it is
after days of rain and wind.

Shredded clouds race overhead
to unknown rendezvous,
stormwater drains from the cow field
under a rough stone wall of dark basalt.

For a few hours of patchy sunlight
I uncovered the raised garden beds,
protected from the storm and night cold.
The kale are so young and tender,

I can’t deny them this respite, this nourishment.
The next storm will sweep in tonight
a tyrant, throwing its weight around.
We all must breathe and stretch while we can.