And now a poem about dolphins...

ADDRESS TO THE CEILING
K. Michel -

the dolphin was once a land animal
it walked around and drew breath
under the pressure of climate conditions
the dolphin was driven over a few millennia
in the direction of the water
its once fully-formed legs grew shorter
and shorter till they virtually disappeared
what the dolphin retained from life
on dry land were the lungs
in evolutionary terms that’s odd since
what good are they under water
probably it’s a kind of use
that’s beneficial albeit indirect
– think for instance of body hair
coccyges or in a wider context
the continued survival of poets –
perhaps the evolutionary bonus is
that it enables the dolphin to
surface now and then
to leap out of the water
and cast a glance at the blue
or starry or cloudy sky
and the coast

Translated by Paul Vincent

Coyote Sighting

November 30th, 2010.


A motion light came by the office behind the thrift store
when I was on the back step. I moved over to see what it was.
At first I thought it was a fox, but it was too big and too grey.
It moved forward slightly, looked around.
It was gone in less than a minute.