The       nuts       Max      wants     have      walls

    so             any       mug       might     only

 only      kiss



an        apple



How       mad!      Close     house.  Too    open   to     call

  WE'RE TALKING aluminum  METAL     so        INGENIOUS EVERYONE

 YOU (U)  see       has       wings!    So        talk   back

      when   everyone agrees



The  door   is   to(o)      close.   Max    rides    a  frog goat



a    goat



and    grabs  your  hair!  C.  He   wants  valves



and   tires wearing bear  tracks   He wants all  angles



and   angels on    the   bus    to wear ant legs.

     Max   wants

  and   his  sour onion  tea nearly all drowns



all     in      an      oval    off-white

    arrangement  a.k.a.  an    office  a    yellow

  tray    with    tea     with     tea      and



Ashes, ashes    with    hills   falling   to the   puny     world

    that's   down   where    the    alarm

   rings       to     tell you   run   away       go timidly

       trap     time



on     rungs    that   tower     everyone  all   slender  tall

    tulipy

  cut-out



and  to      Max     say      BOY    STOP

   and     TALK      TO        WOLVES   TO      MEN        TO



THE  OLD   SKIN   IN     A    TURTLE     Your   eyes  were brown

    oval   green

  and    they      were  full   and     clean   haven't  the mice

       worn   out   their old    adage:



«a  mowse  howse     kan    ownly     8      wut    thay

  (nutes)    cud      MANNEJ»     Like  trees  when   rings spruce

     worms



Like   slapsy  Maxy   when he  surrounds another   spot    there

  where  the       only   trained  bats

     were   trained so    A      Max    threw  kelp  on     a    wave

 that   whirled like

  a  whimsical  tree  bending with   such   limpidity  and   bowing

     off      again



Then   an    anvil   flies  forward  and  against the window

  heaving sighs    groaning    then   talking   everywhere

    some    head    growing up      beyond  kelp    over  where  the

 wind touches    a



BOY    (that)   who    (that)   can    ONLY   pet    dogs   goats

    wolves every  year  unless  we      let       you      so

       ALERT   MAX      say      NO



Say  There   was     the     rice   to     tend

      rice and   goats   to    tend    to

  and    rice too      to     eat   and    sing   to  and   here

        too  to   tell crude

    boring Max     stories in   and  hear    pressed by     a    wind

  gush



and    soaring    by    other  annoying

   aggravations once or     whenever

            and    then   again   done



and    if     that   needs  our   help    very  our  only

        then   run  and

  when    Max   finds   his    socks   the   socks  with  the

    four  heels



and    invites  wolves   and   when  he  yelps



Stay    home.



                      -San Diego, March 1987-



 

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