Post-Surgical Reflection

"...That time may find its sound again, and cleanse
Whatever it is that a wound remembers
After the healing ends."—Weldon Kees from "Small Prayer"

As my recovery proceeds and I experience longer stretches of time without pain, I am reminded of this lovely short poem by Weldon Kees. It can be found in his Collected Poems and is well worth seeking out. I am indebted to Naomi for calling my attention to it.

Gratitude

Most of my readers know I recently underwent some minor surgery. Both as I was preparing and afterwards, I was stunned by the enormous volume of good wishes I received viae-mail, Facebook, et al. My gratitude is boundless, as is my appreciation for the friendships and connections I have been able to forge.

I am also gratified by two recent publications that I learned of during my time off for recovery. The Smoking Book is a very interesting online publication that is in the process of of gathering poems for an anthology of smoke-themed poems, and apparently posting poems accepted as they are received. I will be adding an .mp3 of my reading of the poem soon, so check back later.

Hit and Run Magazine takes images of works-in-progress and other "raw materials" of literary creation and posts them online. A very cool site well worth checking out.

Both pubs are still actively soliciting submissions, so if you have work, drafts, sketches, coffee-stained notebook pages, etc., consider sending them in!

Happy Birthday Lightnin'!

Sunday the 15th was the birthday of Lightnin' Hopkins, greatest of all Texas bluesmen. Thanks to Fitz for the reminder.