At the cellular level? I need a microwave. Or a big yard sale. There are defects in the database. Or fountain grass, nor the silver edged. Iris, nor those fire-colored forget-me-nots,. But the Black Forest lily has become. My confidant, my compass, my map. Of new beginnings, my new amazement. At the stars above her steps, her smile.

We were the first to commit these acts. Each one of us is responsible for our own actions,. Not our parents no matter how abusive or evil,. Not our teachers who may have bullied and insulted,. Not our peers who showed us a code of behavior we knew to be wrong. I was following orders is not an excuse.

The clang of the mall on the spikes rings. Gandy dancers earn their pay. Those big iron wheels on those steam. Train pushed the tracks apart. Back into place, the engine comes off the. You dig your lever bar into the soil between.

The Indispensible Guide to Unearthly Practices. After a universe of time,. Of light in a chimney of air. On hills or near gardens, baby. Lambs offer kisses of new blood. Colours and draw blinds of sound. There is a gift of water, like breath. But leaves of skin gather like food. Around plants and trees and lawns. Looking ahead I throw away the. Blanket of its extraordinary aim but. It is not higher within, where graves.

I was almost drug-free in Rome. Just reservoirs of alcohol,. Frequently, my flat feet. Occasionally, a crowbar craftsman. From the pickings of our flat. Once, you smoked opium,. The only time before China. For that Brave New Year, 1989. In Hong Kong still, you lavish. I ponder my remaining options.