Erin Bennett, Leaf 1, 2005
My Cheap Lifestyle
— by Eileen Myles
After a bourbon
I came in and turned on the tube
lit a joint and watched Monterey Pop
nearly wept when Janis came on
Janis’ legs kicking on stage is a memorable sight
Janis does her sweet little Texas girl smile as
her act finishes. She kicks her heals
and otis redding is so sexy
millions of young americans experience religion for the first time
in their lives
or so the cameras would inform us
I’m concerned about manipulation in this media
how one gains such wonderful power
but of course I’m too tired
thrilled by the process of bringing down a familar blanket
upon my bed
it’s nearly fall
nearly winter
I expect the stars will be bright the woods full of bears
The Light the Dead See
— by Frank Stanford
There are many people who come back
After the doctor has smoothed the sheet
Around their body
And left the room to make his call.
They die but they live.
They are called the dead who lived through their deaths,
And among my people
They are considered wise and honest.
They float out of their bodies
And light on the ceiling like a moth,
Watching the efforts of everyone around them.
The voices and the images of the living
Fade away.
A roar sucks them under
The wheels of a darkness without pain.
Off in the distance
There is someone
Like a signalman swinging a lantern.
The light grows, a white flower.
It becomes very intense, like music.
They see the faces of those they loved,
The truly dead who speak kindly.
They see their father sitting in a field.
The harvest is over and his cane chair is mended.
There is a towel around his neck,
The odor of bay rum.
Then they see their mother
Standing behind him with a pair of shears.
The wind is blowing.
She is cutting his hair.
The dead have told these stories
To the living.
At The Guess of a Simple Hello
— by Richard Brautigan
At the guess of a simple hello
it can all begin
toward crying yourself to sleep
wondering where the fuck she is.
* Contributor Andy Fox has worked as a private investigator and a bartender. He’s also edited a book of poetry and plays in the D.C. band Nice Breeze. He has published The Dust Congress since November 2002.
