58
hope my whole life
I keep pasting things into the same notebook I hope
my whole life is a notebook
that keeps pasting the notebook
is a life-hope and the
pasting you say
save the notebook
what you say is a pasting
paste up the save this save that
you save the pasting
isn’t it time to admit
the notebook
to admit the whole life notebook
keeps pasting
the slip of paper that says
what was your favorite birthday
a birthday is a life-hope
the notebook is a birthday
the cat dipping its face into the candle
like a cookie in chocolate
the candle is dipping its flame into the face
face into flame the birthday the same notebook
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This selection comes from Janelle Adsit’s collection Unremitting Entrance available now from Spuyten Duyvil. Purchase your copy here!
Janelle Adsit‘s poetry has appeared in publications such as Sixth Finch, Confrontation, The Cultural Society, and Lalitamba. She lives in northern California where she teaches creative writing at Humboldt State University. www.janelleadsit.net
Ben McClendon is a PhD student in creative writing at the University of Tennessee. He previously studied poetry at Northern Arizona University after teaching high school English for several years. His poems have appeared in Indiana Review, Yemassee, Ceasura, Chariton Review, Redivider, Rattle, and elsewhere. He is currently Assistant Poetry Editor for Grist: The Journal for Writers and a poetry editor for Four Ties Lit Review. Ben lives with his husband in Knoxville.
