The smell of the sea took on ominous implications

[sovay]

My poems "Being Providence," "Settling Accounts," and "Trying for It," are now online at The Revelator's Special We ❤ Lovecraft Issue. These are, respectively, the poem I wrote for H.P. Lovecraft after the Brattle's film festival in August, the poem I wrote for asakiyume on the spring full moon of Nisan, and the poem I wrote for Thomas Andrews on the centenary of the Titanic, and I am exceptionally pleased to be able to announce their appearance in this magazine. All three are ghost poems. I think they are some of my best. I am seeing the year out with exorcisms.

I dreamed a title: Of Mercury and Other Musics. What kind of book it belonged to, unfortunately, I didn't remember when I woke. I'll just have to make one up.

Comments

[three-magpies.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Lovely trio - "a life jacket floating in the uncalculating sea" is one of my favorite lines from them.

That's writing, I think; what is clung to in avoidance of drowning. Or love. Or, perhaps, both.

[sovay]

That's writing, I think; what is clung to in avoidance of drowning. Or love. Or, perhaps, both.

Love and writing are both good driftwood.

Thank you.

[three-magpies.livejournal.com]

I concur about the driftwood.

I need to get to the beach...

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

"Going to the devil in my own unhurried way." The best way.;)

These look amazing. I love the accompanying picture, BTW.

[sovay]

These look amazing. I love the accompanying picture, BTW.

Thank you! It was adapted from the photo derspatchel took of me that I didn't hate.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

Congratulations. All of those are beautiful, and it's a pleasure to read them again.

What kind of book it belonged to, unfortunately, I didn't remember when I woke. I'll just have to make one up.

I'm sorry for the first, but I would wish to see what you might make up for it.

I dreamt last night of shelves of books and stacks of CDs I didn't recognise. I kissed a girl named Zenia Kabuki, assuming I'm rightly reading what I wrote on waking, which name I found out from seeing it written on her markerboard. We'd been assigned as roommates at my undergraduate alma mater, I think with others as well. I couldn't decide if she kissed me because she was breaking up with her boyfriend or if they had an open relationship. I realised towards the end of the dream that the reason I didn't know what classes I was taking was that my alma mater doesn't have a graduate school.

I woke before I worked out whether I was actually on the faculty. If I was, I hope somebody told me what classes I was teaching before things got too badly off schedule.

[sovay]

Congratulations. All of those are beautiful, and it's a pleasure to read them again.

Thank you. I think I am going to have to put together a chapbook of ghosts: I have enough of them. I just don't know if I've gotten to all the ones I need.

I kissed a girl named Zenia Kabuki, assuming I'm rightly reading what I wrote on waking

That's like manga by Dorothy Parker.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

You're welcome. I think that chapbook would be a lovely thing.

That's like manga by Dorothy Parker.

Excellent way of putting it. I like how you think.

There's a Xenia in Ohio--it's about a hundred miles southwest of my alma mater. I'm not sure if that was part of the inspiration or not. I also found myself wondering, I think even as I was dreaming, if Zenia was somehow short for Zenobia.

I seem to have a page of notes from that dream. I should probably try to write them up.

[snowy-owlet.livejournal.com]

You're right to be proud of them. Bravo!

[sovay]

You're right to be proud of them. Bravo!

Thank you!

[selidor]

Oh yay! Very happy to see these in print, Trying for It in particular.

[sovay]

Very happy to see these in print, Trying for It in particular.

Thank you. That was an unexpected poem, except in some ways I think I had been writing it at the back of my head for years.

[ashlyme.livejournal.com]

That's a fine, fine set of poems - well done. And that's a good picture, too.

Whenever you find the text to your dream-book, I'll gladly read it.

[sovay]

That's a fine, fine set of poems - well done. And that's a good picture, too.

Thank you. Photo credit to Rob Noyes for the original and Eric Schaller for the steamboat.

[clarionj.livejournal.com]

Ah, these are so good to read. I haven't read such evocative words, images, histories since the last time I read your poetry. I need to remember to read your work before I write my own. :)