Briefly, and loosely, the butterfly mirrors the night. Like an angry river,
If patterns are a process, this visits language.
With painstaking naiveté, under a rotary dial dusk, this existential cowlick
Never burdens folly with precision.
I only write poems to defy paragraphs. Torn shorts and short poems,
An hour of television. In this cosmos inconsistencies are stars.
*From the archives
naïve haircuts 
an hour of television works for me, Bob, if it has the heft of ‘Succession’; I like that last sentence, prodding my thoughts 🙂
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Thanks John. Lately, I’ve been watching Star Trek before writing. We’ll see how that affects what I write.
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That first line grabbed me in its sudden shift, from a butterfly which I associate with soft and delicate to an “angry river.” That you’ve put them one after the other is tremendous and come to think of it, night is like that, both delicate and violent. I grew up in the suburbs of Milwaukee and night times were so quiet and peaceful in the neighborhood, a pounding silence that was also a bit eerie.
And rebellion against paragraphs! I love that. Brings the title to life. Excellent. I’m glad you brought this one out of the archives. Like all of your work, it’s timeless.
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Thanks Steve! Maybe my rebellion against paragraphs is just me rationalizing my impatience at writing prose.
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You still have to write that memory about playing punk rock music in the parking lot and then going into County Stadium and hitting a make believe homerun.
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I’ll get working on it.
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Love it. Bob. Always wondrous images and a subtle or not-so subtle dose of the unexpected. I particularly like “never burdening folly with precision”. Says so much and seems to capture the whole theme.
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Thanks Chris. I agree that line does sum it up. I’ve been struggling to put something together, so I went to the archives.
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My somewhat apologetic and reluctant visits to the archives proved to be a really positive and motivating exercise for me. I tend to write it and forget it within days or even hours. Revisiting and rewriting reminded me that I actually have written some pretty reasonable work over the years. It’s even allowing me to start putting together a collection, and again, just bolster my incredibly fickle confidence. The archives hauled me out of what felt like the beginning of a slump. I don’t even bother mentioning when it’s past work anymore. There’s a reasonable mix happening. Wow. I just came in from working outside, saw your note and figured I’d fire off a quick response. before heading back out. Didn’t expect to write you a giant paragraph. All this to say digging in the archives can be a very good thing. Sheesh. Enough already. Hope you’re having a good weekend. Hey did you see my, Build Me a Church? If you did and just rolled your eyes and carried on, no worries. I just thought it may have slipped under your radar. You should also check out https://desperatepoets.com. A new group that I have a feeling your work could fit right into.
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I’ve been thinking about putting a collection together too. And I do the same with what I’ve written, I rarely go back and read it. Just move on. Maybe going back over everything will be good. My confidence is funny, sometimes I feel like I can do this, other times its why am I doing this?? Thanks for the advice (and pep talk)! I think I needed that.
Sorry I missed your post. I don’t know how I missed it. I always look forward to your writing. It was fantastic and I left a comment.
I will definitely check out the link you sent.
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I have a feeling that although our styles may be different, our approaches and personalities as poets are quite kindred. Mutual feelings regarding always anticipating and looking forward to your writing.
More than once I’ve read about visual artists laying out all of their old work to find consistencies, style and get a sense of their art, and themselves as artist. A very positive and motivating experience. Maybe an element of rerooting in it?
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Yes, I agree,quite kindred. I really like the idea of laying out all of their work. And really love that word, rerooting. Thanks again.
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Brilliant work! There is something striking and profound about the line “If patterns are a process, this visits language.”
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Thank you!
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“Briefly, and loosely, the butterfly mirrors the night. Like an angry river,” – love this.
Also love: “I only write poems to defy paragraphs. Torn shorts and short poems,”
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Thank you!
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