12.21.2008

Alice B. Toklas

She eats brownies instead,
Takes super dictation
And sleeps on her head.

Turning her? Hopeless.
She butters buttons:
Stuttering, muttering,
Award-winning buttons.

She rich? More or less.
Parties all night;
Tossing word salad:
this is her life.

I don't want to have fame,
Only to hold her.
Alice, please
Can I stand
On your shoulders?

The Case of Neurons

A neuron rakes his pen
across the page passionately
so the paper tears and
what remains
is only of slight semblance to a symbol
the same way a hissing escape
of air cannot cross the synapse.

When they are aligned
end to end
it is chemistry:
"Wow, that is so interesting"
"Yes, I'm sure"
and god,
God,
isn't it a miracle?