Fan Fact

Window, tower, box,
circular, three-speed, high
velocity, ceiling, exhaust. Heat
waves come and

stay. Birds
bathe in dirt, the cat a puddle
of flattened fur
behind the claw

foot tub. All the characters
have been stolen—tickets
on sale next
Wednesday at noon.

Fracture Critical

I am the waterfront
cottage you refuse
to abandon

after another super
storm. I refuse
to be redundant. I am

one more tragic
hero in a long line

of them swimming
in the undertow
after dark. Could be

avoided. It’s the heel not ankle
deep water. I am
never coming back.

The first in the city
to have electric
lights. A hinge

to flex downtown
lane over lane flung
onto outdoor sculpture

with a cherry on
top. I’m at the bottom
of this brown hill

imagining a summer
evening: Civil
twilight and a great blue

heron—my current hero’s
plugging in
near the Dandelion

Fountain. He wouldn’t get too close
to the water. Weeds are wild

flowers with a bad reputation.

The way I build up,
demolish, recreate
my heroes, mine could be worse.