today i read

by Lisa Jarnot

Lake of Fire

I will make you understand, I, being who I am will
make you understand who I am, on a Sunday,
in the rain, when the ice is melting on the stoop,
beside the white water lily, having been made
to understand that I will make you understand, 
making you this, the one who understands, having
understood, standing by it, in the rain, understanding
where I stand I stand near you, the stoop, in the rain,
by the lily, who I am, making sense, understandable,
and smart, and also lovely, that you understand
that it is this, lovely, the truth, in understanding,
having said it, having been understood, like the
rest of the universe, stoop-like, egyptian, with a
lake of fire and the lilies and the train, beautiful,
happy, gleeful, joyed, and understood, this, I am,
who am to you who understands.

From the book Ring of Fire

today I read

Found Text

The deer mistook their reflections for deer
and the deer mistook their reflections for
other deer and the deer apparently
mistook their reflections for sheep and
what the deer mistook their reflections for
isn't certain and the deer were removed
from the scene, being deer, before being
removed and mistaking reflections of the
other deer for the sheep the deer were
removed and the deer deciding to join
them joined the deer having mistaken
reflections of sheep for the deer in the
plate glass window

by Lisa Jarnot (from her book Ring of Fire)

Ye White Antarctic Birds by Lisa Jarnot

Ye white antarctic birds of upper 57th street,
you gallery of white antarctic birds, you
street with white antarctic birds and
cabs and white antarctic birds you street,
ye and you the street and birds I walk upon
the galleries of streets and birds and longings,
you the birds antarctic of the conversations
and bank machines, you the atm of
longing, the longing for the atm machines,
you the lover of banks and me and birds
and others too and cabs, and you the cabs
and you the subtle longing birds and me,
and you the conversations yet antarctic, and
soup and teeming white antarctic birds and
you the books and phones and atms the bank
machines antarctic, and you the banks and
cabs, and him the one I love, and those who
love me not, and all antarctic longings, and
all the birds and cabs and also on the street
antarctic of this longing

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This poem by Lisa Jarnot appears in the book Poetry 180 and I think it is fantastic. I love it so much I ordered a book of hers called Ring of Fire.