Reading at Powell's

Tired of pursuing perfection, would
like a little brilliance. To say
something actually, I mean. The coffee
napkins are teal, a shimmering collage
of debris. Everything here is aesthetic.
Sitting among piles of Ashbery and Erdrich.
I will choose the ones with beautiful
exteriors - an island floating in a sea
of trees. Ashbery has clearly attained
the heights of jacket design. Reading
poetry is such a tactile thing. I stroke
the glorious unopened cover.

Copyright © Kim Hodges
July 1995

"palm reading: fate line"
Return to A Small Garlic Press Introduction