[ryan a johnson]

This is how the closing bell sounds.
The crunch of gravel
and shoulders
pushing into the air.

[ryan a johnson]

We left the apple trees in the yard while it was raining and so our fruit dangles from our hands like a wet sock. The sock was not wet because of rain but because wetness can occur at any time. Those apple trees caused such wonderful shade and we are saddened to watch them drowning. We discovered image-making is simple when it replaces things of value.

[Role Modlin]

4-23-09

---

I Don't Know

some things
like birthdays
and anniversaries
escape my mind
names that go
with the faces I see
two or three times a month
if only there were a key
to unlock and empty
that cavernous space
filled with facts
data that I strain to recall
if only there were a key
I would not have called
your Aunt Brenda
Sally

[Role Modlin]

4-24-09

---

untitled #4

laying on concrete
chlorine burning my eyes
my moment of bravado
now numbed by tears
sitting up stings
but not as much
as the laughter
from the little girl
in the bright pink swimsuit

[ryan a johnson]

There are some things that can’t be avoided. Age, water, oxygen, eyes, dependence, sweat, cannibalism. Here’s hoping that the gym floor is freshly cleaned, that the balloons are firm, the punch is sweet, and everything moves quickly. There must be great care in choosing the music. After they surround us, if all goes well, we will die in prom-wear. The perfect moment.

[ryan a johnson]

Originally Posted by Mr. Role Modlin

4-24-09

---

untitled #4

laying on concrete
chlorine burning my eyes
my moment of bravado
now numbed by tears
sitting up stings
but not as much
as the laughter
from the little girl
in the bright pink swimsuit

I do enjoy this.

[ryan a johnson]

You are the Tom Hanks of energy
my body is a grange
have you seen the man with a hat
he is not buoyant

[Role Modlin]

4-25-09

---

untitled #5

Tomato sauce stains her apron.
Flour cakes her calloused hands.
Sweat drips from her wrinkled brow.
Like a maddened artist, she throws herself
into the latest masterpiece.

The sweet smell of garlic and oregano creeps up the stairs and distracts me from my algebra. Tommy covers his head with the pillow and grimaces; he never has liked Mom's lasagna.

[ryan a johnson]

There will be no dancing because I do not believe in science. Also, there are so many people on the porch and in the fire. The fire is far away and so its inhabitants are only concepts and shadows that need unpacking. Like the real difference between fruits and vegetables, which is often left to science but, perhaps, might do well with some input from the Sociology department. There is dancing now but I hug empty boxes so that fire will not go further.

[Nate]

Originally Posted by Mr. Role Modlin

4-24-09

---

untitled #4

laying on concrete
chlorine burning my eyes
my moment of bravado
now numbed by tears
sitting up stings
but not as much
as the laughter
from the little girl
in the bright pink swimsuit

Quite good.

[Nate]

Originally Posted by ryan a johnson

There are some things that can’t be avoided. Age, water, oxygen, eyes, dependence, sweat, cannibalism. Here’s hoping that the gym floor is freshly cleaned, that the balloons are firm, the punch is sweet, and everything moves quickly. There must be great care in choosing the music. After they surround us, if all goes well, we will die in prom-wear. The perfect moment.

Euphemism?

[ryan a johnson]

Originally Posted by Nate

Euphemism?

Zombies.

[ryan a johnson]

Let’s hover down
the Mississippi with
bags of rocks and
cannons of gold.
We’ll find out if the
Frontier Red has room for two.
Let’s set off for Boulder,
Colorado and condensate
the colder way.

[ryan a johnson]

Come on over. But I am sleeping. Welcome the homeless. Talk about mixtapes and summer on couches. Remember well before January. There’s something about orbitals and theories and the ice cream was still plenty firm. Blue flame. Nothing but sleep is here.

[ryan a johnson]

There is a tower of bear skulls next to pornography in the forest. I find the corner store and ask the man there why things are arranged the way they are. He explains that the bear skulls are a natural thing and as for the pages, there are teens by the dumpster who would be a good authority. I find the teens and ask them why things are arranged the way they are. They tell me that bear teeth look so procreative when they are without lips and gums and so the magazines seemed like the logical conclusion. The light bounces off the dumpster and the braces of the boys as they wonder with me why all the skulls fell so vertically. I go back to the forest and ask the bear why things are arranged the way they are. I cannot tell if it is male or female due to the standards of polite conversation, but it explains things in syllables that I do not understand.