Stephen Dobyns Poems

The heavy lidded enterprise of the dead
begins with forgetting, ends with forgotten.
Like smoke, so thick at first but higher
...

Each morning the man rises from bed because the invisible
cord leading from his neck to someplace in the dark,
...

A cry was heard among the trees,
not a man's, something deeper.
The forest extended up one side
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A man owns a green parrot with a yellow beak
that he carries on his shoulder each day to work.
He runs a pet shop and the parrot is his trademark.
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Across the street, the carpenter carries a golden
board across one shoulder, much as he bears the burdens
of his life. Dressed in white, his only weakness is
temptation. Now he builds another wall to screen him.
...

Waking, I look at you sleeping beside me.
It is early and the baby in her crib
has begun her conversation with the gods
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A man tears a chunk of bread off the brown loaf,
then wipes the gravy from his plate. Around him
at the long table, friends fill their mouths
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How smart is smart? thinks Heart. Is smart
what's in the brain or the size of the container?
What do I know about what I do not know?
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Heart's friend Greasy gets nixed by a stroke.
His pals give him a wake; they drink all night.
The next day they cart the coffin to the church.
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A record store on Wabash was where
I bought my first album. I was a freshman
in college and played the record in my room
...