back

Excerpt from A Life of Letters

Stephen Lindow

Uppercase J

is the hangman's noose,
a cactus root,
a walrus penis.

Lowercase a

is a tiny silver bell,
a sleeping prairie dog,
the soft hook on a lifejacket.

Uppercase E

smells like cobwebs and isn't to be trusted.
It is a building balancing after a blitzkrieg.

Lowercase g

is the finger holes for scissors,
the pubic hair on a cake of soap.
It is a hot soft pretzel.

Uppercase X

is shunned, cancelled and over exerted.
It is a treasure glyph, an explosion.
It has the personality of a chainsaw.

Lowercase t

hangs in the shed covered with rust.
It is the cheap tie of salesman.
It is a crucifix in a strong magnetic field.

Uppercase A

is the steep pitch of my roof.
It is 1/64 part of a snowflake.
		
top