If I have nothing, people have said, I might be more satisfied. Or some people say love is everything so that’s all you would need. Some more have said they don’t know what to write as a third sentence…

Tape Song - The Kills

The Memoir for Youth

Flipper the dipper wears his bags as his eyes do He wears his jumpers like his arms did
He wears his lemons on the back of his cherished palms, on top of his waterlogged eyebrows
He doesn’t concern himself with the outer-limit kings
Or the beaters of busses
Or the wishful thinkers
Or the lustful beachbums
Or the stationary gun log sitters
Or the breastfed cheeseheads
Or the wasting reachers, reaching for the out-of-date can of dissolved cough suppressants
Or the ringbearers of the cross

Or maybe he should


But for now he doesn’t
Open the cave
It’s time for the reflux…
…of the empathy’s deluxe melody

"Back in the old country, when there was a deep snow, we'd put on heavy muskrat overcoats, trout waders, and husky hats, and dig ourselves out with hay forks..."


- Excerpt from "The Old Country Days: When Junk Happened Then Which Doesn't Happen Now and Assuredly Not Later"