April collections

Defining features (2021.4.12)

I was wondering
how did people recognize a table
before they ever sat at a table
how did the first person who came up with the idea
introduce a quasi-table to friends,
- here’s the thing you can sit beside, and eat dinner
- what’s even dinner?
- a time for contemplation, “to be alone with others”
- then what’s a table for?

for holding your plates, or anything you have to confront with,
or hide behind, before your evenings

Routine review (2021.4.10)

to recover from the shock
as an infant,
or as a dying elephant, striding slowly with a clear conscious mind
toward the cemetery of secrets;
of innocent short stories,
that we tentatively agree, for now,
will not break the patio,
will do no harm.

Daydream (2021.4.5)

may our words become the clouds
of our statues
each with an identical face, pronounced eyebrows
that barely smiled, the very opposite of
rejoicing, after all,
is the relief
from a morning burial.
and I never hear back from you since.
here comes the new summer.

How to attend a lab meeting (2021.4.2)

“let’s have a carb party”
and you brought chips (no dipping sauce whatsoever)
but the goal was:
to be deprived, until
there’s nothing left underneath
so you could comment on food, stand still, and greet people
(resonation of all kinds)
the eagle hovering by, the neighbor’s dog eavesdropping
it’s getting cold,
and peaceful.