“You have your one, brief, tiny life. You have your pen. Can you convey the heat of it?”
—Paul Kingsnorth, Savage Gods
Doug Paul Case is a photographer and writer based in Bloomington, where he earned his MFA in poetry from Indiana University. He is poetry editor of Hobart, and his first book of poems, Americanitis, is due out from Eyewear Publishing in Fall 2022.
On this edition of the Poets Weave, Doug reads "Pink Confetti," "Selfhood," "Inaccuracy Because Either Can Be Either," and "I Saw the Ghost."
the Poets Weave. I'm Romayne Rubinas Dorsey.
Pink Confetti
The villain in my favorite Star Trek movie says ridiculous things
“Time is the fire in which we burn” and sure I guess
He wanted to collapse a star but dies when his missile blows up early
Everyone knows you can only be right about x-amount of things
Time is what I use to think about golden retriever puppies wearing baseball caps
Time is what we plant out back when we want corn in September
Everything is explodable
Even words you have to invent
Especially
Who actually believes Shakespeare did all that
Lord he must have lived at writing residencies
He must have had incredible lovers
I quit wondering what gender they would have been
I quit my job so I could write poems
Look at this tiny black poodle in a princess costume
How do you know what month it is
What are the benefits of living in a college town
Is it all right to watch science fiction all day
Should you always send a thank you note after an interview
When do your mid-twenties end and then
I wish there were a carousel nearby I could watch spin
Who is in charge of painting the horses
There is a museum with the answers in Connecticut
Who is in charge of ticket sales
Who is in charge of most things
Some guy on the news says the Bible says the world will end today
There’s a nice breeze outside so what if it carries hellfire
I’d miss my midcentury porcelain tea set
I’d miss shirtless men jogging by my porch
Can you think of a better place to sit with a beagle
I stopped drinking milk a while ago and yes I feel much better
Déjà vu exists because time is a bunch of pink confetti
There was a party you weren’t invited to but had to clean up
There are four brooms in this house
We don’t know why
Sorry the Plant You Gave Me Is Dead
Lately I can’t tell the difference between the natural and the artificial
Put a stick of gum in my mouth
I like everything pink
I like these cloud formations
We live in dichotomous times
It’s raining or it’s not unless there’s fog
The wind’s having a day isn’t it
Lord for the life of me I can’t find the watering can
When I bought it I thought better get the neon green one
I’m sure you’ve heard how plastic some leaves look
I’m sure you’ve heard KT Tunstall covering that Radiohead song
It’s a universal truth that gravity always wins
For years I’ve been certain I’ll die falling off something tall
The only bridges I want to see were built by otters
I’ve got a kayak if you’ve got the time
I’ve got a guilty conscience red raspberry macaroons
Is a Cabin in the Middle of Nowhere Still in the Middle of Nowhere
How to maintain interest if I don’t begin with trees
There was smoke until there wasn’t
It’s not always about summer’s arrival
It’s not always about Orion’s belt
Another man’s on the floor
Pulled still through his gray trousers
Looking like its owner didn’t care where it crumpled
How silent when he turns off the shower
No one ever knows which towel to use
No one ever knows how steady to stay waiting
To dress is to ignore how alone you are
You've been listening to poetry by Doug Paul Case on the Poets Weave. I'm Romayne Rubinas Dorsey.