Oh, who is this I see approaching from afar, carrying date cake and the promise of pleasures?

I received a note from Chloë yesterday. She has, she says, been entirely overhauled and is now ready to face the challenges of the new era. I have no idea what she’s talking about. Indeed, I don’t know who this Chloë person is. I can only assume the note was delivered to the wrong address.

We talked, and everything became so much easier. It’s like a new skin. All I need now is something new to say.

I don’t know if I can afford the cab fare …..

and the egret, I don’t know how it can flap its wings.

How sunshine reasserts itself over and over again. How abstractions can become annoying! One longs for a can of tuna and a girl in a chair.

How can I balance this (almost nothing) and that (what seem to be virtually everything) in what can (imperfectly) be described as a whirl of confusion? The sumptuous curves of a dream are a balm, but a temporary one. How clouds gather!

PLANNED POEMS #15

WHAT YOUR HAIR SAYS ABOUT YOU

What were we thinking of, a philosophy of life

to “get us through the swamp”? All our bags were empty

except for oranges, and nobody wanted those.

Then, as if granted by a god person, we noticed under our feet

the seeds were growing, although they looked sickly.

It was sunshining at night!

What kind of a world was this

where people were happy without permission?

Frog! And turtles!

All kinds of life

difficult to understand

but admire. I think

the castle we have built

won’t fall down for a while,

so let’s invite the family in:

I’m growing to love animals.