
2023 January 25

L, love, these paintings
mean anything to you? Do
you want me to paint
more for you? if no
OK if maybe I won’t
if yes I start now
The red blue yellow tubes of gouache L bought in Baltimore were in the same paper bag as the watercolor brushes I bought in Baltimore, uh-oh, not that I’m going to give up fountain pen and watercolor ink but maybe I don’t have to stain my hands each and every night with them, I broke my gouache duck, laugh!
Finished my daily two-dimensional box, time to write
my daily two-dimensional poem
Width my dimension lacking, some would argue depth, I say, Death
to the Either/Or, my gag and epitaph.
I divorced the life of juicing stories and limited my experiential interactions unless
I lie, I’ve tried, I try, I can’t, am a ham liar
Worry stone daily, hollowing, not widening, the thumb niche
I am the only Jeff I know.
I meet other Jeffs often
through work or Subaru
service managers who
insist their name is Jeffrey,
please don’t confuse me
with them, I’m not a James
who hates Jim or a Charles
who hates Charlie or a Robert
who hates Bob or a Margaret
who hates Peggy or a William
who hates Billy or a Stephen
Steve or Michael Mike
or David Dave or Edward Ted
or Eddie. Please call me Jeff.
I’m the only one I know.
Should I write about my marriage at some point? Is this
tonight’s poem? It better be. I love her when I’m with her I
love me most when I’m alone. I’ve tried to make that not
true. She is not here with me now while I write this
poem and I will not show her the poem and I’ve never
asked her to read any of my poems. Tomorrow we hike
the Appalachian Trail through blooming mountain laurels
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* | What | could | possibly | * | ||
possess | seven | syllables | ||||
* | to | stomach | haikus? | * | ||
* | * | * | ||||
* | When | head | grimaces | * | ||
seven | syllables | baptize | ||||
* | Feet | demand | credit | * | ||
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I’ve been using clear | |||||||||
Elmer’s Glue for my glazes | |||||||||
Mix watercolor | |||||||||
* | * | ||||||||
ink fountain pen ink | |||||||||
watercolor paint squirted | |||||||||
directly from tube | |||||||||
* | * | ||||||||
half inch of water | |||||||||
let evaporate | |||||||||
half inch of water | |||||||||
* | * | ||||||||
stir vigorously | |||||||||
make. I haven’t been writing | |||||||||
My ban on watching | |||||||||
* | * | ||||||||
moving images | |||||||||
on screens intensifying | |||||||||
in correlation | |||||||||
* | * | ||||||||
to what images | |||||||||
I will not watch tomorrow | |||||||||
in my head today | |||||||||
* | * |
* | * | ||||||
Give armageddonists | |||||||
a glimpse of apocalypse | |||||||
better than | |||||||
Give apocalyptics | |||||||
a glimpse of armageddon | |||||||
yes? in the sentence | |||||||
Give armageddonists | |||||||
a glimpse of apocalypse | |||||||
initiates death stare | |||||||
There is no off-switch | |||||||
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