9.11. dexter, sinister

On the subject of 9/11, I have little to say, save that I notice an elderly man across the street has planted American flags in his window. One large flag taped to the centre pane, two smaller ones either side. The wound is too raw, even ten years on, the ceiling torn away so toweringly

poem for a stand up guy, in beer

I could not listenfor the scraping retort. TheCackling;Hooting;the explosive Guffaw,Ears burning,pricked by stitching,Even the word‘Nipple’Arousing raw heightsof inanity,Spittled lips puckeredWetlyin rows, front and back,The spotlight trainedontired, spotted flesh,Stickingat the armpits,Small beer, short shrift,Arrivists in cashmereSweaters,Hanging on each word.Finally,it is not the metal tasteof fearwhich saws and stings –the spoon,the knife, the fork –It is the

jock’s away, in a manner of speaking

Oscar Wilde • Brendan Behan • Sean O’Casey • George Bernard Shaw • Samuel Beckett • Eugene O’Neill • Edna O’Brien • Lawrence Stern • Sean Kavanaugh • Sean McCann • Benedict Keilly • Jimmy Hiney • Frank O’Connor • Catherine Rhine • Russell Hoban • Charles Bukowski • William S. Burroughs • Robert Stone…

4 million buys you shit

photograph by robert altman. “It was cheap; cheap; cheap-uh,” squealed Jonathan Richman at the age of 41, moved by the vaguely unclean spirit of Bubba-Ho-Tep. Mo Diddley. Blue Mask era Lewis Reed as dessicated hip priest. “Nowadays I hear the rents are steep.” I fell back on the futon, feigning a head cold. My wife