You Don't See the Ghost At First: A Chapbook



There comes a time when you're ready to follow through, complete, publish, finish. After decades of compiling dozens of files and piles of poems, I'm finally creating books. Here's the first, a chapbook, You Don't See the Ghost At First.

This is a collection of flash-autobiographical pieces and poems, a tiny montage of images surrounding the child I once was.

Here is "Happy Baby" from the collection.

Happy Baby

Lie on your back, she says.
Breathe big with your belly.
With each hand, grab a big toe:
This is our final pose

But I’m no puppy, I think
Ridiculous, exposed
Unsafe, to open to the sky, to anybody
Mother always said, Keep your legs closed

I lie down in the cold
Hold big silly toes
Break grip, fall out
Roll, smoothing a kinked spine

I can drop anything, let go, hold on
Gigantic belly looming, laughing
Limbs loosed from all they carry—
A cradle I never knew.

2 comments:

  1. How thrilling! My only complaint from taking your classes was that I never got to hear as much of your work as I wanted to. Can't wait to read more.

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  2. Gyp, thank you. I'm learning how I've been my own barrier to following through on many things, and I'm putting myself out there even more. These are timely lessons, because I can encourage others to be brave, too.

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