Daniel M. Shapiro and Jessy Randall have been collaborating since they were in middle school
together in the 1980s. Their poems and other things have appeared in Many Mountains Moving, McSweeney's, EOAGH, and Eleventh Muse. A collection of their collaborations, Interruptions, is forthcoming from Pecan Grove Press.
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Amazing Things
The yogurt fits perfectly
into its plastic cup.
An elephant may forget
how to ride a bicycle.
The letters of the alphabet
are in exactly the right order.
Dents of snow fall from the sky
in the shape of footprints.
Mathematical Proof
Given: There's more in yours than there is in mine.
The scissors aren't sharp enough. logic
If you are sharp your body will break. lust
Look through it. Turn it. See colors move. cool
Sure it was fun. Don't call me again. cold
Cinderella and the Wolfman
You got so worked up
that time I lost the key.
To get to the ball we
broke down the door.
We wanted to dance, but
someone stole the floor.
What better way to condemn
our language of motion.
We moved in both directions.
You seized glamour; I
went for its opposite.
The moon grew like an hour.
What Is It They're Supposed to Throw?
What is it they're supposed to throw?
Rice kills birds. Bird seed instead?
How much? Wouldn't too much
kill them? We should be thinking
about ourselves, not birds.
"Make it a great day" said
the caterer, so aggressive,
she didn’t want us just to have
one, but to make one. Can we
have love, or do we have to
make that too? Are people
getting married supposed to
get the giggles? We should ask
the swan man. He must know.
No sculptor has a better work ethic,
but how much ice can you whittle
before... What kind of frosting?
Why did she wear that? It seems
I'm losing my train of thought.
Is it my turn to speak? It is. I do.