New Game today. This one is called Last Line (Gone). Gotta admit, I’m a bit happy about it too. Games which involve titles or other writers’ words are really hard to construct. Far easier to have something less literal as your trigger.

So for this Game, the name kind of says it all. Take the last line of a book, use it as the first line of your poem, then once the poem/pome is complete, remove the first line. Too easy. & a lot more liberating. Different style to many posted this month: written very stream-of-consciously & with minimal editing. I also tried to let the book’s title influence the mood of the poem somehow.

Today’s last line is taken from a crime novel I’m reading ATM, The Bookman’s Wake by John Dunning (second in a very fun short series about Denver cop turned bookseller, Cliff Janeway). & so …

wake

knowing everyone’s about — to be crushed — the weight of stars — tumble down — slash the sky — fall upon the ocean — boil it dry — steam drown the air — fall upon the desert — raise dust — fill lungs — the cough of life

adam was made of earth — eve of his rib — why didn’t god — just make her — of more earth —  surely rib-theft — was unnecessary — & if he only stole one — why aren’t our ribcages — lopsided — many things make no sense — if you question — deeply — some things — just make none

the first — of many apocalypses — a rain of fire — the book of days — the days of the screen — when poets rule the earth — pleasant fantasy — or metaphors gone wild — plato banished poets — fearful of mimesis — imitation is evil — dangerous influence — what would he know —  we try not to laugh

if only he’d banned — reality TV — or rabid evangelists — from his republic — instead — we might take him — more seriously

LAST LINE: In the yard behind the store i look at the black sky & wonder what books tomorrow will bring. [stanza 1 started by phrase: ‘i look at the black sky’; stanza 2 by: ‘in the yard’; & stanza 3 by: ‘tomorrow will bring.’]