Jessica Reads “Fire” by Marck Beggs
Squawk
the goose that juices
eyes wide adrenaline
burning feathers all
kerfluffle this is
the moment after
the moment
whatever it is
happens.
The Gaul’s New Life
See the trailer for my video series-in progress, here:
The inside, out
Revelatory Cutting
The more interesting things are on the inside; the cover is a disguise.
The Dog: a poem aloud
A still from the video "The Dog: a poem aloud"
Hear a recording from my live reading on April 4–a collaboration with the spectacular Marck Beggs. It’s accompanied by a little video mashup, here:
Spider, Ghost
For Day 3 of National Poetry Month, my poem “Spider, Ghost,” recorded on Audioboo, here…
Cuba
Sea Collage, 2012
I wait for you in Cuba
as we agreed.
I don’t expect you, but intend.
The room is dark, cool.
Rum, too. Some lime. Sublime.
A white hat.
It isn’t you again.
Sublime.
Jarbug Years, a Poem Aloud
A separation for my 2011 print "Jarbug Years"
It’s National Poetry Month, and since I just discovered the joy of Audioboo, I thought it would be appropriate to record one of my own poems there. Here’s the link…
Special Topics for Summer 2012
Letter to My Childhood Home
1912 O’Connell
February 15, 2012
Dear Pink House,
It’s been a long time; I hope you are well!
You may not remember me; after all,
who didn’t pick the blackberries that grew along the back fence line,
too naive even to watch for the snakes
that undoubtedly must’ve been watching out for themselves?
Who didn’t turn cartwheels in the cool dark blades of your summer grass,
lingering in the dusk for those last precious minutes
before the mother called her name?
But I wrote my name in black magic marker
on the hardwood floor of the only original bedroom,
when it was pink.
And I bet I’m the only one
who hit a frog with a stick on the narrow walk before the kitchen window,
and then cried and fretted, stomach all aknot with shame and regret.
I bet I’m the only one
who planted a sweet potato eye in the boxwood bed
and found a surprise purple blossom
on the vine.