1. tall boots
grey a-line dress
kate’s necklace
star jasmine sprig pinned to piled-up hair
last weekend’s memorial attire
becomes this weekend’s wedding outfit
2. again
the power of collective pasts
how we carry slices of each other
how we become composites
collages
collaborations
3. white paper cutouts
circular and strung together
a backdrop of delicate movement
rippling in the wind
4. the father in the front row
reaches around for a tissue
kindfaced and laughing at his crying
5. seated in full sun at the kid’s table
john shuffles uno with a 7 year old and emily
while
cosmo and i have a draw-off
64 crayola colors on plain white
(palm trees, star fish, horses, shells)
6. for the second time this week
sarah and i converse (kilowatt smile to kilowatt smile) over
an array of desserts
when she mentions her 6 year old willa and how fastforward time can move
(meaning the giving away of her daughter to marriage)
i offer another side to the diamond of possibility
saying
something about
how there’s also me
for instance
at 35
unhinged and
roaming free
7. i pass two phrases
across the catered table
to juan of the miho gastrotruck
delicious
and thank you
8. rancho guajome adobe wanderings reveal
oil lamps
antique chandeliers
down mattresses
handwoven rugs and
hardwood planks nearly giving way
in the corridor
9. tossing the word special
to felipe
he tosses it right back
and neither of us could be
more right on
10. r.e.m.’s orange crush
comes in over the rear speaker as we
circle for parking
sun-faced and too tired for a jazz fest
we opt for tea and two-hour-old coffee one hour before closing
11. the overwhelming
desire
to come home
to another body
it might have something to do with
just having been at a wedding
but it might have more to do with
what it means
to come home
in this city
12. sometimes i listen to songs
in alphabetical order
tonight
it began with halo
and now:
hard to handle
13. you pose the question:
what kind of magic still exists in this world to listen to?
detail collector 