Dear Oblivion

Lake George, N.Y., July 2020

i’ve
stubbed my tone again
against the edge
of some other universe
under the weekly
farmers market
near the free whiskey
samples retired
dentist who
summers in santa
monica who
explains volatilization
charcoal
filters in his coronavirus
mask
the perfect gift
for clark

i’ve
taken off again
around pluto
in the byzantine
eyes of man
nothing to do
wife away

i’ve
glanced out again
from my crashing
self sea

i’ve
named myself again
spoiled oil
spilled spinning
top approaches
edge gravity
angel’s share
bitter ship
gasping heir
to a ruined king-
dom of collapsed
arteries rough
concrete
sidewalk gone
feral over rough dog-
wood root

again
to say
enough.

Hackensack

Farmers Market, 2019

After Ron Padgett’s Amsterdam

The sky has been paved over
by no boats in the Hackensack.
In the gutters of River Road
watery asphalt crumbles
because it is New Jersey and
very unwell. Even the street
light thinks filth, with
the sadness of her body
her electric mind every minute
and Ken Zisa inside
the house watching his Yankees
inning after inning. Outside
the window, a man says something
and a girl laughs, “No, Milagros,
eso no es un gusano real.”
Everything fizzles.