Line Poem
by Caroline Knox
Long jetty, long shell-racked jetty, cracked warped planks.
Beautiful fish, beautiful sea-bass poached with an August tomato,
on an ironstone plate.
A snake’s slough, a snake’s spinal cord, a dry-rot stump.
A twill tape measure, an audiotape cassette unspooled and puckered,
shining.
Agate prayer beads, kazoos, whistles, rattles.
A bike chain and a bungee cord. A möbius strip and a broccoli elastic.
Split vanilla pod inset with paltry-looking flat oily brown seeds.
Egg-and-dart molding of vitreous fake sandstone. Contrails,
mares’ tails, mackerel sky.
List Poem
Old comic book, a Wonder Woman comic book, soiled pages.
Pink worm, a slippery earthworm cracked and dry, in a plastic sandwich bag.
A raccoon skin cap, a rabbit’s foot key chain, a piece of driftwood.
A crinkled dress pattern, several eight tracks labels faded, dusty.
Knotted prayer rope, song flute, marbles, music box.
An airplane gear and a silky cord. An infinity symbol and two pieces of velcro.
Soybean shell burst with beans missing and husk brown and dry.
Papier-mache volcano with soda-vinegar explosions. Sun dogs,
neighbor’s dogs, Red Dog Saloon.
Reason Breeds Insanity 