h o m e........

p a s t   i s s u e s....

s u b m i s s i o n s....

l i n k s

SAMUEL AMADON

POPULATION OXYGEN

I’m going to slow everything down now 
            By telling you exactly what I’m going to
Do; rock it back and then forth, like
            Creak and then crack, like this and then

That; that was what I did when I was 
            Doing it for you. Here’s a porch on a day 
With music. You don’t get that,
            Which is ironic, as you’re the one sitting  

On it. Move on. No? Well, would you like
            It uncomplicated? We were at the cabin,
And everyone was having a wonderful 
            Time. In fact, inside the cabin, everyone 

Was singing terribly. Though at the time, 
            I was down by the lake and I was alone. 
I felt this involuntary feeling. Strange is 
            Not a word used to describe a respiratory 

System. How does it feel so “after the rains 
            Came” inside a person’s body? As in oddly 
“The rains came” in her living room that 
            Day. Who does she see about her shoes’ 

Damp interiors? If that’s your question, then
            Ask it, by all means. I want not to stop 
Anyone from doing anything. And this
            Is not just about everything. Rather, it’s  

About you choosing to focus on the way 
            That I’m having a little trouble breathing.
Either it’s not real or it’s not a priority.
            How do I say, “you there, on the porch.” 

Or this old one, “Was that song for me?” 
            Will it save me? My contention is look
What vulnerability I exhibit by rolling 
            Around in the algae with these lungs

While you explicate on how this particular
            Instrument is not a banjo, per se. Say there,
I’m having a little trouble saying, “Say there.”
            It’s as if the thing that fuels my speech has

Skipped out on me. What a bunch of dumb
            Silences. Here’s where I don’t have a song.
That’s not the only word. Here’s where I don’t
            Put in a word. This is what I mean by sing

For me. You sing like a lawyer. Can you sing 
            Like a doctor singing like a lawyer. I’m not 
Comfortable without instruction. Can you 
            Come here and clear things up for me?

HONKY MAISON WITH VOICE-OVER

It was all getting a lot clearer, but not 
For me, you or whatever that blue 
Quality is. Jackson, can you get traction 

On a somewhat functioning geographic? 
And we zoom in. The substance 
At this level? Oh hello, white and green

Mountains. Down to: small group of penguins
Keeping equal distance from each 
Other—is this some sort of unfortunate 

Episode? Be with me now across the vast
Expanse of swiftly rendered 
Desert, where hyenas or that fast cattish 

Thing are racing. I am not certain about 
The body of water, though surely 
This isn’t the proper sentiment to express 

Over the five-hundred-year flood plain 
Of Holland. Borders mix too
Much and it’s difficult to get your 

Feeling for what is strange back on 
Straight. Like I say I will clean 
My apartment and someone responds 

Yeah, right after this nap.

EACH H (VI)

If it was a trip, well who was on it?  There 
were lots.  No, one.  No one 
was on it, they were after it.  If they were 

after him, they won’t find him in the wind.
How’s that possible?  This is New
England.  You’re saying there’s no wind?

No, not that, but what I think is that
it wasn’t a trip.  Why not? 
I wasn’t on it.  You weren’t on it?  We

weren’t on it.  If we’re not on it, then 
it’s not a trip?  It’s not 
a trip.  What is it?  Forget it, what’s 

this?  This is us.  Well, then don’t we feel 
like some kind of destination’s
been reached?  If that’s it, then something 

must come after.  Yeah, he comes after. 
You mean, after us.  He’s after us?  
No, he’s us.  Well, then he’s in the wind.

A MOUNTAIN IS

where a lake extends beyond the trees, directions are larger 

than this document is discursive, and could be narrower, briefly, 

but later stakes, in assortment, turn order no more tenable 

than this lake is a collection located somewhat shady 

in northern New Hampshire.  Are you with me?  Here or there 

our excuses are only for each other to make something. 

A river?  By river, we say, this river looked like a hundred years 

before anyone said something so foolish.  I am for understanding 

landscape as more impressive than portrait is where still 

we squabble over the windows are letting in the rain, out the warm 

comfortable.  It’s convertible.  It’s so soft, your sofa,

how could anyone argue over Sunday should be we have to go 

back now. How welcome home garlic in the kitchen, mince

it together and when we rinse our hands it does not leave them.

What if whatever floated on the water wouldn’t ripple

and still we couldn’t recognize faces turn around to say 

we understand flowing down to the resolution, with the ocean 

it’s never a surprise we cannot see faces asking were we 

aware these destinations would be turning no

more necessary than directions once we know our way.

A CLEAN SHIRT

Look is there a clean shirt.  But there is a clean shirt.
But there a clean shirt.  Look is there a clean shirt.

Here a sentence for where we could fit it.  Here how
the letters are shifting, are us become less

with invitations in the gutters we are coming to limit 

our access is too much without 
too much we don’t have access to where we could

fit the letters are inviting us the ones shifting.

Look there is a lake after our luggage has our luggage 
in mind.  There is a bin available should there be a bin 

available we are going to be able to.  Like the lake 

we are is where we are is our luggage.  

Without whose help there would be no weight on him
saying without help weight on mine is 

I would ask it to if I could balance.  

Of course, he could juggle.  He could juggle, of course, 
no one expected he couldn’t, but wondered more for

what he was juggling was us and our direction was us

ourselves, juggling is always a circle, of course, he, us
could not have wondered more for, of course, no one

expected he could juggle us ourselves. 

Ordinarily the glasses.  Or ordinarily filled, the glasses 
were filled, could the glasses be filled, or now would 

you please fill the glasses.  Ourselves, but our access 

is too much without our direction, our direction was 
a sentence we could fit it there, there is a clean shirt.

But there a clean shirt.  Look is there a clean shirt.