Payday Loans (7 of 31)

(Smacks his head) Of course! That’s the secret!
Pulitzer winner and a battery
of awards, Ted Kooser lasts so long as poet
and insurance Pres. because of his secretary.
(Think Wallace Stevens.) “Miss Lincoln, take care
of this, will you?” “Where’s that file, Miss Lincoln?”
“The last poem, Miss Lincoln, is it quite there?”
Give me my loaf-haired secretary. Larkin.
The lucky bastards. Then your voice reminds,
“Do you need this shirt for your job interview?”
and I think I’m the lucky bastard, assured
you’ll run my Benefit and Life while I
dictate, your voice efficient on the line
to me (“Yes.”), President and uninsured.

*

I was one of five featured readers at the Neuronautical Institute's first poetry reading at the Bowery Poetry Club yesterday. I read a 15 minute set consisting of "Brother," "Come on, Straight Boy," "Hungry Ghosts," "Underground and Above," "Song of the Reformed Headhunter" and "Mermen." The Neuronautical Institute, organized by Matthew Hupert, presents a poetry reading at the beginning of each season. Matthew welcomes new readers, so if you live anywhere near NYC and would like to read, here is his contact: thew@neuronautic.com . Send him some of your poems.

I was very glad to see many of my friends turning up for my reading. Thanks for the support, guys and gals. I hope you got something out of the poems. Some of us had a very pleasant dinner together afterwards, at the Polish restaurant, Theresa's. Beef stragonoff and sauerkraut. Sinewy words.

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