tense

ben tyler and i hiked up bear peak in a small blizzard.



music in tylerstan.



beers converged on boulder. we hiked in the sun, we hiked in the snow.













tense

we’ll gather to eat—
to talk to eat to drink to eat—
stand outside in shorts and a tie
we’ll gather to eat
together to eat we’ll gather
i’ll be there and i’ll have been nervous
the night before—
fearful of a crowd to be alone in.
in that future past: tense.

and i wished to gather to eat—
leather couch
to talk to eat to drink to eat—
my right big toe touched antarctica gracelessly—
reflecting on grammaticalized forms
in tangkhul
and i felt uncomfortable solidarity when
the future
contrasted with the past/present: tense

we gather now to eat—
another chair, another fire
another moon (or something new)
to talk to eat to drink to eat—
i know that there is gladness
and i continue to be wary of the violence of kindness.
i still anticipate each aspect of the past—
even the perfect and imperfect—
but recognize, too, an ever-present future: tense