Soichi Sato, Predawn, 2014 (Artist Flickr)
Digital photograph
Courtesy of Flickr

In a forest fire you make a fire,
promise to hum in my ear. I should

have closed my eyes—a good day
for sleeping, though open-mouthed

I’d rather listen. Even the clouds, first
formed pre-dawn, come into view only

when backlit. In other words, the mind
is nothing but an illusion. Pay no attention

to the man—behind every great man—
one giant leap—see, this is a failure,

not of imagination but of execution:
the electric chair was invented by

a den—I know, says my wife, you’ve
told me that a dozen times
. Repetition

is the sincerest form. Repetition is
the sincerest way to say nothing

and mean everything, like love,
like time, like making a fire, laughing.

—Gary McDowell



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