when, where, why, and how

you left me here, waiting at the bottom of the stairs with my eyes closed. 

my eyes are always open, but i can't see your face. 

i can't see the forest, or the fortress. i still know you're there.

chicago is waiting. i will go north once i buy a new pair of gloves. 

now is the time for all swans, cranes, pigeons, and woodpeckers go home. now is the time to roost. 

have you called your mother? she's still waiting. 

my jokes are recursive. my thoughts are global. my mind is on another continent. my money is counterfeit.

americans know nothing of geography.

americans know nothing of photography. photography knows americans.

the family of man. the great family of man. english, french, german, portuguese.

there is no psychic unity. there is no mankind. we are not all the same, as we are not all of the same condition. humanism fails here. 

four corners. four cardinals. four space ships, four time slips. 

four ghosts, four apostles. four quarters, four bibles.

chapter two:

my father was a fortress.

my mother was a martyr.

my sister is a shotgun.

my brother is your boyfriend.

my bedroom is not a hotel.