Contents

1. dear wild abandon,
dear wild abandon, 3
we are not birds 4
explain yourself 5
among the beautiful illusions 6
poem written on the mirror of her skin 7
dear man on fire, 8
tragic figure in a rearview 9
the moon 10
what i know of the moon 11
strip mall 12
birds of paradise 13
before sleep takes us 14
swallows built their nest around it 15
when we were giant 16
again i strike your window in full flight 17
dear artificial heart, 18
pledge of allegiance 19
the face of jesus in my bite bruise 20
laundromat at the end of the world 21
dear special theory of relativity, 22
you can hear it through the cumulative heartbeats 23
you never touched me 24
they molt in hopes of airier plumage 25
dear quark, 26
prove you wrong 27
the end 28
dear catastrophe, 29

2. something has to happen next
rehearsal 33
this or something like it 34
a cyclist passes with a cello on his back 35
lamb 36
the story of my beard 37
other people’s machines 38
winter museum 39
what we know 40
the moments before the crash landing are clearest 41
serendipity 42
safe shower 43
stalactite 44
somewhere a buried bone awaits 45
for the dispossessed 46
in the night of the womb the spirit quickens into flesh 47
coyotes 48
chosen 49
world, 50
levitator’s apprentice 51
man of the year 52
california 53
if nothing else 54
listen 55
i’ll pack a pretty shirt 56