choppedcomputerarbiter

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

My Sister’s Memoir

I’ve two poems in the current issue of Misfit Magazine. Here is the second: My Sister’s Memoir I bought the last copyout of the display windowat the bookshop on the corner,where your face had smiled at meevery time I passedas if promising a conversation. But our last conversationwas long ago—longbefore the whole worldknew your name.Such different pathsthrough the forest. You had made a…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

Latkes

I’ve two poems in the current issue of Misfit Magazine. Here is the first and a link to the issue. Latkes I hand gratethe potatoes and onionsthough my friendshave switched to food processors.My grandma always saidthat without a bit of bloodthe latkes hadn’t much taste. Aside for a special dish or two,grandma was no cook—having more interest in professionalwrestling and divining the daily…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

Looking for America

My poem, Looking for America, was made into a choral by the composer Marty Rokeach and recently performed (the choral was renamed Remembering We’re Are Alive). Here is the poem and the link to the performance: Looking for America Let us bebest friendsone last time— roll out the oldFordand take that tripwe so oftendreamed of when young.Head tothe west coast on those two laneroads that…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

The Sound of the Rain

My grandmother liked nothingbetter than to walk in the rain.On days when most were calculatinghow best to stay dry while getting from A to Bshe would don her old gray raincoatand even older brown umbrellaand walk a few miles down Church Avenuepast a hundred store frontsto nowhere in particular. She never wore a watchand I often wonderedhow she knew to turn backor if she always would.It would not…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

The Year We All Got Cancer

This first appeared in Word Fountain and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. A friend reminded me of its existence. It’s been that kind of year. The Year We All Got Cancer Winter stayed.The April rain so coldit left blisters of iceon an earthas scarred and pockmarkedas a landscape mired in war. We waited through the freeze and thawfor some sign from the recalcitrant earth–anxiety growing with…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

North Country

My Poem, North Country, was just published in Issue 11 of Livina Press. Here is the poem North Country Inspired by the Bob Dylan song Girl from the North Country fairand winter whitewith unblemishedsnow to my hipsand a cold so fierceit disfigures. These are badlands.The border betweenhere and somewherelike home.Houses hidden behind fencesbarely visible abovethe snowand neighborless for…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

Prized Possession

My poem, Prized Possession, is up at Lothlorien Poetry Journal. Here is the poem: Prized Possession Yogi was short and fatand prone to tearswhen thingsdidn’t go his way. At elevenhe was the firstof our gangto get glasses. We were friendsand not one of uscalled himfour eyes. Instead, we tookturns trying his spectacleson— smudging the lensespast visibility. His parents were poor,the glasses a…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

Haunt

My poem, Haunt is up at Call Me [ ]—(University of Alabama Creative Writing) in the Call Me [When You’re Dead] Issue. Here is the poem: Haunt I thought that youwould live forever.One procedure after another,like changingthe batteries in your clock. Yet the wing chairis empty now.Who would dare sit in it? You were never a talker,content to play a partwith your presence— and yetit is your…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

Riding the Rails

My poem, Riding the Rails, is in issue 20 of the Loch Raven Review. Here is the poem: Riding the Rails Uncle Frankiewas no longer youngwhen he startedriding the rails. He was a boxer once—his face pepperedby a thousand jabs,nose broken here and there,and a cauliflower earhe’d yank onwhen he wanted to make a point. Frankie quit boxingto run with Abe “Kid Twist” Reles—and Murder Inc.,the…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

Autumn Sky Poetry Daily

My book, Seven Mountains, is featured on Autumn Sky Poetry Daily. Here is a link to the site: Daily Poem Here is the featured poem from the book: BEST INTENTIONS I planted that copper beech50 years ago todayfor my 30th birthday.It was little more than a stick, barely survivingits first three years,although I wateredand trimmed it and would have fed itwith a spoonif I’d known how.It’s…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

Air Raid

My poem, Air Raid, is up at the Red Eft Review. Here is the poem: Air Raid In Brooklyn,in 1953, the air raidsirens would wailtheir warning onceor twice a week. We woulddive under our desks,assuming the half-inchoak would protect usfrom anything, although the teachersnever assured us.My brother assured memy eyes would boilin their sockets, my charred skinwould peelfrom my bones,and no…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

Zeus Redux

My poem, Zeus Redux, is up at the New Verse News. Here is the poem and a link to the site(with a great cartoon). Zeus Redux We do it by ionizingthe radiation and shiftingthe polarization of the earth’smagnetic core millions of times per second.We control itfrom a basement apartmentin Hoboken— that bluest of blue towns,paid for by the DNC.The four of usdo the weathering on two old Apple…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

P

My poem, Poker, was just published by New World Writing. Here is the poem Poker It is nothing to me who runs the Dive.Let’s have a look at another five.–Robert Frost in Dive’s Dive My grandma taught me.She wasn’t some namby-pambywho’d let her grandson winto build his self-esteem. Nah. She took my allowanceand my lunch moneyand had me out on my bikedelivering the Daily News. She showed me how…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

At Least it ain’t Chicken

AT LEAST IT AIN’T CHICKEN my cousin said after a particularly bad steak dinner at the corner restaurant. My brother and I broke up, Barry laughed so hard he began to hiccup, his dark complexion turned to merlot. Mom was not the finest cook, but back in the fifties we ate steak and chops, hamburgers and meatballs— and Friday night chicken boiled. Has an artist ever depicted a boiled…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

Give Them All to Me

Many thanks to Clare MacQueen, editor of MacQueen’s Quinterly, for nominating my poem, Give Them All to Me, for the Best of the Net Anthology. Here is the poem: Give Them All to Me But if somehow you could pack up your sorrows… —Richard and Mimi Fariña* It was the year of chili dogsand reheated beansat the encampmentunder the interstate—between the smoldering forest fireand the sad little…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

Four Strong Winds

My poem, Four Strong Winds, is up at One Art today. Here is the poem: Four strong winds swirl the gathering cloudslike vaporsfrom a witch’s cauldron. The road is out, car stuckin a forest of hemlockbordering West Virginia. And as the moonlightand starlight go outunder the thickening clouds, I question my leaving—although we talked of itso many times before. Tempest tomorrowbut tonight will…

[choppedcomputerarbiter]

Incomplete

In the current issue of PA’s Poetic Voices: INCOMPLETE By the second weekI searched for an endingwithout real hope.Ran through the usual—birth death,youth old-agemiddle-age, angst,hoping to findsomething stirringI might useto closewithout a thud. Shame.The poem is packedwith gorgeous similes—ice like frozen water,and verbs—propel, propulse, and pulsate,that rocket you to Mars,but I’ve no…