Ruby Street

Well, no, of course not. I've been various places (even been to me this weekend). Just haven't been much around Ruby Street, in any sense, recently. I suspect I'm still in a slight time lag warp and have been unwell for weeks - travel infestations. Went to Perth and then Adelaide last week. Not exactly my choice of timing but had a good time all the same. Warm welcome from Perth poets (the Andrews) and Perth writing persons in general (hi, Rob) and bumped into many other folks. And did music (Tan Dun, Ed Kuepper) and the arts visual (Rothko and Rover) as well as writing thangs. Adelaide, as hot as. But great CD shops. True. Check it out! But still haven't got my head back around Sydney yet. They tell me it's been raining. Sure, it's overcast, but rain - puh-lease. Send 'er down Hughie, is what I say. Anyway, had to water the garden this morning (all strictly within Sydney Water guidelines - we're most partickerlar about that at our place). Yesterday inca...

we're far up at windows in a city flashed with new year stars lion dance bristles tracking the asphalt white and gold verticals colonial spires another year's breath heats the dry season and its cocktail vocal press into dark nodes and expression 'how insensitive' air labours to be cold candles refresh the river fire cracker thousands it's a family thing in a way station of strangers caught between straits bow over the card and the god money gong xi fa cai Singapore, 9 February 2005

her flaky back her ghosted arms Venus de Milo (Aphrodite of Melos) Louvre Museum

the pen so cold snow is edging the city and wind test the monuments their verdigris work of the soul there will always be dancing at the bar americain though the tongue freezes without speech and all along the boulevard people press their lives into the sounds in their heads there's something tender in stone the cold frees it the living stand with flowers and feel the coming sleet water is more than rain there's no sleep beyond the night and now is always interruption sweeping away the leaves I cover my head where the cold falls snapped 25 Jan Cimetiere Montparnasse