Table of Contents
I
Love Poem #137 15
Subway 16
The Oak Tree Speaks 17
The Toothbrush to the Bicycle Tire 19
New York, June 2009 20
The First Poem in the Imaginary Book 22
Mrs. Bjbeiro 23
II
Montauk 29
My Parents on their Way Home from a Wedding 31
Slivers 32
Brother 34
Hands 36
III
Jellyfish 41
Evaporate 43
The Ladder 44
Bricklayer 45
Forest Fires 46
Poppy 48
Something We Don't Talk About, Part I 49
Dragons 50
Hand-Me-Downs 51
IV
Shosholoza 57
India Trio 60
Jetlag 62
Paws 63
The Shirt 65
Boom 66
Grace 67
V
Until 71
Scissors 72
Something We Don't Talk About, Part II 73
The Moves 74
Postcards 75
Hiroshima 77
VI
Extended Development 83
Questions and Answers, in No Particular Order 86
Loose Threads 87
Private Parts 88
Another Missing 90
The Call 91
Flight 93
VII
B 97
And Found 99
Winter Without You 100
Corey's Turn 101
Witness 103
Yolk 104
Accidents 105
VIII
Peacocks 111
On Being Prepared 114
On the Discomfort of Being in the Same Room as the Boy You Like 116
Here and Now 117
Open 118
A Place to Put Our Hands 119
Today's Poem 120
IX
Ghost Ship 125
Lightning 128
The Type 129
Astronaut 131
The Paradox 132
In the Event of an Emergency 133
Notes 137
Credits 141
Acknowledgments 142
About the Author 143
About the Illustrator 143