from to market

from to market

that one is invisible

that one is perfectly clear

he turned
he continued
pointing
very scanty fingers

that one was over there

that one was there before!

*

they laid in cosmic powder
silver foam had formed
around their pupils

dad said

summer
wouldn’t be the same
if we were home

and had
to fly them out
all that way

and mom said

let’s not
forget how
miracles

happen
in
the first place

go ahead!

the monger said

touch!

*

he holds his phone
to a tiny eye

above a broken window
on the passenger side
of a champagne sedan
the meme reads

stay safe y’all
last night somebody
left two Dababy
tickets on my
windshield

this morning
Dababy himself
broke in
and left
four more!!!

ha!

he cries

stay safe!

he laughs

haha!
four more!

*

Other Things Laying in a Trough of Ice

a copy of lotus in a sea of fire
bottled water
burnt latex hospital gloves
a month-to-month lease
a new pair of plastic glasses
clasps
a darning stitch
a stool

a bully
two twenties
pig knuckles
a plate

*

dad asked

isn’t there a joke
about fish
in red lipstick?

the monger replied

of course!
it goes

a hole opened in the sky
the sea rose to meet it

dad repeated
confused

a hole opened in the sky
and the sea rose to meet it

mom said beneath her breath

a hole?
the sea?

the baby grabbed it
from the air
declaring

that’s not so funny!

and the monger said

so be it
before tossing one off
to the birds

*

for carnival
she straps a dried fish
to her groin
as her penis for
the night

he straps a wet one
from his navel
as his pussy

dangling
one looks across at the
other hanging there
swaying from their
silken belts

they go
dancing through a cobbled street
stretching for the crumpled snow

*

that one never had a mouth

it sucked on krill
through its gill
just enough to stay
alive

it had hunger-induced
hallucinations
that its siblings
never had

shared memories
were sometimes remembered
differently
as though different
events but they
were definitely the same

they all communicated
by clicking tiny
bones in their jaws

the fisherman felt lucky

where a slit
should have been
there was a healthy
bit of meat

and because
it was only hanging
from the hook by
a fin wrapped
twice around

*

you buy two
you drive them home

late that night
you notice something stuck
inside one’s chalky lip

you reach in
with finger and thumb

you reach a thin scroll
that reads

after

all

you

know

and

tibet

is

still

not

free?

*

I made one out of lead

I made one out of mirrored plexi

I made one out of video cameras

I made one out of brick

I made one out of guitar strings

I made one out of newspaper

I made one out of fish

I made one out of photos

I made one out of sugar

I made one out of paint

I made one out of novels

I made one out of soap

I made one out of rubber

I made one out of cream

*

a whole batch arrives
skinny
dead
unappealing
cheap

one day they will be
fat
fresh
delectable
and worthy
of no
small expense

*

dad bites

mom bites

the baby twists a spiteful face

mom says

if it fits
in your mouth
it’s natural!

tiny baby bites

there is a marinade
of soy sauce
dill
cumin
white and black pepper

there is a grain mix
of quinoa
cilantro
buckwheat
and wild rice

*

that one looks like a bottle
that one looks like a breast

that one looks like a caliper
that one looks like a crone

that one looks like an organ
that one looks like an op

that one looks like a paddle
that one looks like a plate

that one looks like a wizard
that one looks like a wick

that one looks like a y
that one looks like a yam

*

after Laura Henriksen

David Blaine
goes to a
fish market
looking for
good sturdy
props