Richard Garcia is the author of Rancho Notorious and The Persistence of Objects, both from BOA Editions. His most recent publication is a chapbook of prose poems, Chickenhead, available only online from FootHills Publishing: http://foothillspublishing.com/2009/id56.htm. He teaches at the Antioch low residency in LA and privately online. Richard's website is www.richardgarcia.info.
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The Duration
Nothing much happened during the duration.
But a child did say the word duration
until its meaning disappeared.
Creampuffs reigned supreme.
Baked Alaska was big during the duration.
We thought it would be a kind of interlude
but, technically, it could have been forever
Snowdrifts were also popular.
During the duration, something white,
like a sheet, hovered over the land.
In a darkened circus tent, a hobo clown
tried to sweep a circle of light
into a dustpan. It was the duration.
The way it eluded the broom.
The way, in the dark, you could hear soft laughter.
The way he could never quite sweep it up
as it contracted, smaller and smaller