FEATURING: Brandon Shimoda

Brandon Shimoda is the second child of an Irish-Scottish girl from the west coast and a Japanese boy from the east coast. He has lived in both of their hometowns, and has found them lovely, and completely unmanageable. A few of those sentiments can be found in recent pages of Verse, the tiny, Aufgabe, Xantippe, MiPOesias, and elsewhere, as well in the editorial leanings of the New Lakes reading series, CutBank, and Octopus Books and Magazine. In the summer of 2004, Brandon moved, with Aimee, from North Carolina to Montana, where they are currently remaining.

Brandon will be reading at the Mouth & Thistle reading series @ Satchell's in Boise, ID on Saturday, Feb. 10th. Be there or Beware! (e-mail for details)







from O BON


dog and monkey and pheasant

mouth accepts a peach
        aright


the ember wracked edge
of the turbulent field


armor tasting of millet
dumplings—dog
and monkey
and pheasant

recognize
our ornament?     


I put my fist
through it I pull
it out, the prodigal stone










•


war in the hackberry

reticent gate

attenuate
navy blame I
do side with the trees

would have been proud
who moved as they spoke
the trees spoke












felt animus
       field

or
       brain, branches
     shaking fur
loose











Without to Move or Speak



—      w      —

—      en      —


the fate woods
to the north eastern sea

aureole of open cathedral
the strontium isle

the corpse left
out of articulation       

will stay among us
let’s hope not

the afterlife
the stomach

and shroud removed
from the flash portrait

whilst coming to life
with nothing in your mouth
nary muscle













•


not afraid of the chestnut
   
     bears that brings
to your land             hirsute sounds

       themselves at home


       the feather bed
     rose

      damask song

palanquin

    how pale
the fawning scalps
       beside the polar
   mahogany










the Tsuzumi Horse



The snow, dear beacon boy, is falling




      crystal

    casemakers
spread

    the walls
enflamed
      by motion lights
    rare
horses strung
      from the rafters
    in rows
of low-tones
      laureling

the sky      Do not
          move


          girl
        worm
    within
          the stabling      Will

    I be
that
      filly hung

the salem night
      to canter
    once 



and where
would we
have gone
at that hour


with what body?










Irradiant



In one week from now
you will be seen anew

though the light will catch

you incorrectly