Derrida is dead and I don't feel so good myself

Okay, so we've had one week (almost) since the election, and it's like it happened a year ago. Bush is now using his "political capital" (is this like a Visa with no credit limit??) to bomb the tar out of Fallujah. My favorite quote is Rummy in an AP story today: "no Iraqi civilians will be harmed" in the bombing...how can he be so sure? Do the Iraqi civilians all wear large "C's" on their heads to make sure the planes don't bomb them? War fosters the most ridiculous doublespeak...

So, my poem comes out in the Nashville Scene this week (I'll post a link for all who have requested it when it becomes available). I had my photo taken for the issue on Friday at the Nashville Public Library by a very nice guy named Josh (who just happens to be the brother-in-law of my son's teacher!! Nashville really is a small town wrapped up in big city clothes). I've never had my picture taken in a library before; Josh wasn't even sure if it was allowed officially, but we did it anyway. He took 3 shots...one of me standing in the middle of the stacks, one by the window (poet contemplates large words while staring into the morning light), and one with a book. He asked me to choose a book to be photographed with, and I froze. All of my insecurities came out (should I pick someone famous? someone obscure? Ezra Pound just to be ironic? there's that book of poetry by Jewel...AARGH!). In desperation, I picked a Poetry anthology (that's poetry with a big "P" for those in the know). As I stared into the camera, I tried to convey this thought: "Hey, I may not have ever had a poem published in Poetry, but I have touched people who have!" And so it goes...we'll see which shot they pick.

The allergy season is nigh in Nashville. I never knew I had allergies until I moved here. The locals say that it gets better once the real winter starts. Here's to real winter.