21 Stars Review: The complete poetry and prose Letitia Trent and Chris R. E. Wells, editors Copyright 2009 Published by Sundress Publications All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without the written permission of contributors. Printed in the United States of America Book Design by Chris Wells, Lori Scoby, and Jeremy Porter Cover based on a photo by Paul Baker Sundress Publications / 21 Stars Review [email protected] or [email protected] * This publication is free. However, the editors ask that everyone who obtains a copy make a donation to Grandma’s Gifts, an antipoverty and pro-literacy charity benefitting the Appalachian region of the United States. Please go to http://www.grandmasgifts.org to read about the charity and make your donation. Thank you. Table of Contents I. TEXT ……………………………………………………………………………………… 8 FJ Bergmann, “Pilgrimage ”…………………………………………………………………… 9 “Solitude ”……………………………………………………………………… …… 10 “Waterfall ”………………………………………………………………………… 11 Amanda Silbernagel, “below freezing ”……………………………………………………… 12 Glenn Bach, “from Atlas Peripatetic ”………………………………………………………… 13 Becky Peterson, “Defensive Drawing ”……………………………………………………… 15 Harry Johnson, “Next Time, a Rabbit ”……………………………………………………… 17 Gilad Elbom, “A Beginning ”……………………………………………… ………………… 19 Nicol ás Mansito III, “The Escape Artist ”…………………………………………………… 21 William Yazbec, “Midwestern Flashers ”……………………………………………………… 23 Laura Wetherington, “This field is a blazon ”………………………………………………… 38 “I’m rig ht about time ”……………………………………………………………… 39 Louis E. Bourgeois, “A Boy Named Trinity ”………………………………………………… 40 “Black Wind and High Water ”……………………………………………………… 41 “Dogs ”……………………………………………………………………………… 42 Robert M. Detman, “What You Catch a Glimpse of, For get As Soon ”……………………… 44 Steven D. Schroeder, “Oh Kay ”……………………………………………………………… 48 Alison Shaffer, “body politic ”………………………………………………………………… 49 Duane Locke, “Al Fresco Café Poems #65 ”………………………………………………… 50 Steve Himmer, “Skunk ”……………………………………………………………………… 51 Jeffrey Calhoun, “A Bit of Exegesis in the Netherlands ”…………………………………… 53 Joseph Goosey, “About It ”…………………………………………………………………… 54 Adam Elgar, “A Beginner’s Guide to Lights ”………………………………………………… 55 Mark DeCarteret, “defier ”…………………………………………………………………… 56 Christian Tablazon, “Ending ”………………………………………………………………… 57 Kit Kennedy, “Outline in Salt ”……………………………………………………………… 59 Hugh Behm -Steinberg, “Luck ”……………………………………………………………… 61 Kendra Paredes Hayden, “Before the First Dawn ”…………………………………………… 62 “Little Moon D id Not Exert Himself ”……………………………………………… 64 “The Rabbit on the Moon ”………………………………………………………… 66 “The Moon Undertakes the Night’s Task ”……………………… ………………… 67 Bruce Holland Rogers, “The Invisible Man ”………………………………………………… 68 Ricki Garni, “Two Hundred Movies ”………………………………………………………… 69 Nathan Klose, “the only bicycle poem ever written while riding a bicycle ” ………………… 70 Phillip Lund, “control study ”………………………………………………………………… 71 Jennifer Uhlich, “The Bees ”………………………………………………………………… 74 Ashok Niyogi, “Golden Temple ”………………………………………………… ………… 75 “Memorial ”……………………………………………………………………… … 76 Andrew Rihn, “Last Night I Got This Craving ”……………………………………………… 77 Thomas Sullivan, “Cycles of Life ”…………………………………………………………… 78 Donald Illich, “Chalk ”……………………………………………………………………… 80 Jan Thie, “The Collector ”…………………………………………………………………… 82 John Steven Cummins, “Hi, Dad, happy birthday to me ”…………………………………… 85 Nina Alvarez, “Gravity is Weak ”…………………………………………………………… 87 “Why Do You Read Literary Theory? ” ……………………………………………… 89 Curtis Bon ney, “The Cycle of Liberation ”…………………………………………………… 90 “Land of a Thousand Hills ”………………………………………………………… 91 Annie Cardi, “What Satisfies the Cravings ”………………………………………………… 92 Shellie Zacharia, “Go ”……………………………………………………………………… 94 Beth Coyote, “swerve tenden cy ”……………………………………………………………… 95 Shane Allison, “Dirty Town ”………………………………………………………………… 96 “A Poem for Charles Bernstein ”……………………………………………………. 99 “Gertrude Eats Grits ”……………………………………………………………… 102 Mark Howard Jones, “Interior Design ”……………………………………………………… 104 C.L. Bledsoe, “Tea ”…………………………………………………………………………. 111 “The Woman in the Other Bed ”…………………………………………………… 112 Jane Ormerod, “Love Song Number Four ”…………………………………………………. 113 Christof Scheele, “The Novel That No One Could Pronounce ”……………………………… 114 “Ja cob, Don’t Look Back ”…………………………………………………………… 115 “I Am Sev ”…………………………………………………………………………. 116 Allyson Boggess, “Lottery ”…………………………………………………………………… 117 Caleb Puckett, “Make the Man ”……………………………………………………………… 118 Michael K. Gause, “Hourglass POV ”………………………………………………………… 120 “Flesh and Flesh ”…………………………………………………………………… 121 Paul Baker, “Unit 8 ”………………………………………………………………………… 122 “Unit 13 ”…………………………………………………………………………… 123 Michelle Bitting, “Reasons to Quit ”…………………………………………………………... 124 Bill West, “All in the mind ”………………………………………………………………… 125 Natalie Shapero, “Penny -Farthing Bicycle Sonnet ”…………………………………………… 126 “Silencer ”…………………………………………………………………………… 127 Daniel Gallik, “Regular Day in Rochester, NY ”……………………………………………… 128 Pablo Tanguay, “The Diligents ”……………………………………………………………… 130 Laura Madeline Wiseman, “Rebirth ”………………………………………………………… 134 Jan Bindas -Tenney, “Morning Pantoum ”…………………………………………………… 135 Micah Bateman, “Shaving Face ”……………………………………………………………… 137 Josh May, “Homage for Analog ”……………………………………………………………. 138 Skip Fox, “Griddle of the Inexorable ”……………………………………………………… 141 Mike Smith, “In Marble ”…………………………………………………………………… 142 “US ”………………………………………………………………………………… 144 Jane Wong, “After the Marriage Goes Out, He Makes Himself Useful ”……………………… 145 “Ho w to Get Rid of Fleas ”………………………………………………………… 146 “A New Year (Two Calendars Combined) ” ………………………………………… 147 Josh Hanson, “Eucalyptus ”…………………………………………………………………… 148 Tammy Ho, “In This Massive Hallway ”……………………………………………………… 157 Harmony Neal, “Family Don’ t Mean Shit ”…………………………………………………… 158 Arlene Ang, “Dear Dog/God —”……………………………………………………………. 159 Ismael Ricardo Archbold, “Tautologies ”……………………………………………………… 160 Mark Baumer, “Cover Letter for ‘Hunting Buddies’” ………………………………………… 162 Frank Haberle, “The T Sh irt Lady ”…………………………………………………………… 163 Pranshu Arya, “Falling ”……………………………………………………………………… 165 Ateet Tuli, “Jason ”…………………………………………………………………………… 168 Amanda Laughtland, “Don’t Rob the Cradle ”………………………………………………… 170 “January 18, 1943 ”…………………………………………………………………… 171 “November 13, 1944 ”………………………………………………………………. 172 Phil Primeau, “American Dream ”……………………………………………………………. 173 Andrea Lewis, “Rice Cooker ”………………………………………………………………… 174 “Spark ”……………………………………………………………………………… 175 “Heidegger Unloads the Dishwasher ”………………………………………………. 176 Kyle Minor, “Smart -Ass…Abecedarium Rag ”……………………………………………… 177 Gary Beck, “Rediscovered Marriage ”………………………………………………………… 179 Len Joy, “Life Sentences ”…………………………………………………………………… 183 Amy L. Sargent, “She FreQuents a Gas Station ”……………………………………………… 184 T.A. Noonan, “Dear Venus, ”……………………………………………………………… 186 “Seashore Rites ”…………………………………………………………………… 187 Mark Cunningham, “Convergent Lady Beetle ”……………………………………………… 189 Catie Crabtree, “Jono ”……………………………………………………………………… 190 “The Hea rt ”………………………………………………………………………… 191 “Other Variations ”…………………………………………………………………. 192 Carrie Grinstead, “The Emily Liberation Front ”……………………………………………… 193 D. E. Fredd, “Good Old Days ”……………………………………………………………… 197 Dennis Barone, “Immunity Radio ”…………………………………………………………… 198 Thomas Fink and Maya Diablo Mason, “Miss Problem Wheels ”……………………………. 199 AE Reiff, “Pity ”……………………………………………………………………………… 200 Jason Fraley, “Statement Against Intimacy ”………………………………………………… 201 “Words as (G)hosts ”………………………………………………………………… 202 Lori Scoby, “Montana Line ”………………………………………………………………… 203 Lindsay Bell, “Horoscope Poem #1: Cancer ”………………………………………………… 207 Jennifer Gravley, “Sleeper ”…………………………………………………………………… 208 Martha Deed, “The Open Courtroom Conceit ”……………………………………………… 210 “Visiting the ER ”…………………………………………………………………… 211 Jack Conway, “Roadside Suicides ”…………………………………………………………… 212 Halvard Johnson, “The Day of the Light -Bearers ”…………………………………………… 213 “What Your Doctor Knows ”………………………………………………………… 214 Doug Draime, “William B lake at the Zoo ”…………………………………………………… 215 Scott Keeney, “Nirvana Rondeau Cento ”……………………………………………………. 217 Aaron Anstett, “Burglars ”…………………………………………………………………… 218 Jeff Harrison, “*The Birds of Nikolai Gogol* ”……………………………………………… 219 Elisa Gabbert and Kathle en Rooney, “Tritina Five ”…………………………………………. 222 “Tritina Thirteen ”…………………………………………………………………… 223 Glenn R. Frantz, “List of the Plates ”………………………………………………………… 224 Maurice Oliver, “‘ Red -Tipped & Semiautomatic ’ Sonnet ”…………………………………… 226 “Do You Read Me, C opy? ” ………………………………………………………… 227 Cat Rambo, “Rest ”…………………………………………………………………………… 228 Peter Coley, “Keidis ”………………………………………………………………………… 232 Andrew Lundwall and Sheila Murphy, “Light Prod -”………………………………………… 233 PJ Nights, “ The Enterprise Books” …………………………………………………………… 234 II. BIOS ……………………………………………………………………………………… 236 I. Text FJ Bergmann Pilgrimage You must imagine yourself as a place you will visit —Andrea Cohen, “Details You Must Remember” In the west of somewhere, a country lane swerving down a long hill that tilts into the sea. Bracken glows like intricately chased bronze armor fitted to the contours of a fallen giant. A stag disappears into the russet landscape as the sun continues its long decline. At a charming villa we stop for tea, and realize that a mistake has been made when they serve us spiderkisses—vodka, opium, and India ink. We are stirred. Fortunately, the ribbons won’t stay tied. After we manage to escape,