THE MAN AND DOG Every day he walked a dog that wasn’t his. The lead he used was made of socks. He took the dog everywhere, even to the pub. The dog loved a packet of pork scratching, and they both played darts in the lounge. The man put the dog on a stool to give him a chance. They hit double top, treble twenty, but neither had the bulls-eye. When closing time came they tapped the pavement, talked all the way home. He jumped the gate, opened it for the dog, then they went to

after Solmaz Sharif’s essay The Near Transitive Properties of the Political and Poetical: Erasure On Facebook, a Filipino writer generations before me—let’s call her Madam M— posted, “If the idea you wish to convey is a little more complicated than [sic] can be contained in a statement, then write an essay,” on she went, “only when your ideas are wrapped up in emotions … when you’re lovestruck or lovelorn, should you write a poem.” Smells like 1960s American New Criticism tra

1/ Into the Reality You see, here’s the leaf dyed with the full Spectrum of autumn; here’s the dewdrop Containing all the dreams made on the Darkest corner of last night; here’s the Light pole in the forest where gods land From another higher world; here’s the swirl You can dance with to release all your Emotional intensity. Here you are in Deed as in need embracing The most Mindful moment, when you can readily Measure your feel with each breath, but do Not think about time,