Poetry of Scott Zieher > Woodland Pattern Book Center

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Scott Zieher

An excerpt from Virga appeared in the winter 2004 issue of

The Emergency Almanac. Elsewhere, Scott Zieher's poetry has recently appeared online at Eleven Bulls, Flaneur, Slurrymagazine, and DIAGRAM. He and his partner, Andrea Smith, own ZieherSmith Inc., a contemporary art gallery featuring artists in all media and located in the Chelsea district of Manhattan.

from Virga

Scott Zieher

High bells, highballs, tall trees

thumping the doozie dry

As does the tenor's tone

so does the noodle in glasses

on the telephone at the end of the bar that curves in wallops

(Keeping us all corrupt and belly up)

With a seamless stride and trumpet and drums

(The trio ends unfinished)

as ever

Whence to stare?

(There is no wind herein)

only dust all abustle

And men who've painted our corner pink

(just bodega-colored now flesh-tint and garish as before)

Summer unofficially prances into prominence

(turning off the spout-bright sprinklers)

Rain falls on cicadas in Kansas City

(whence the quince tree?)

Where did he go that little ray of Idaho?

(rain falls on under-muscled orioles in Baltimore)

Old ice is replenished with new ice

(radio plays something Spanish)

Diamond shapes erase a trace of dust on dormant doorsteps

The Detroit radio laughs again Calypso-toned

And as for today, this day

are we hearing voices

Or seeing things?

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