black
		---------------------------------------------------------

		standing leaning -- wood -- the kitchen door
		eating the last blackberries of the summer
		thinking -- there's plenty more here and.
		and?  and.  the summer is nearly empty and
		neither one of us smokes so let the black
		ash fallout of rinsed blackberries
		be our ceremonial toke.

		standing leaning -- wood -- the kitchen door
		poststructurally smoking a bowl of the last
		blackberries of the summer...  now you too can
		my dear my white mitten my fear my blue duck
		my muted blackbody.

		playing a black baby
		grand steinway and sons 
		school of ed meeting room -- tall glassy
		sleepy carpethall unlocked afterhours
		afterovernight hours
		eight-in-the-morning

		suddenly the sun shone and played
		my hands!

		it welcomed me -- such unexpected inclusion
		i welcomed it -- choosing the best
		word accompanying
		my name
		
		how the word fell slick and heavy
		flicking pretty pretty pretty -- into the black
		keys
		into my indian
		raga
		into my indian
		dances
		into my jazzy
		stomp.

		outside -- campus empty
		east of the sun -- faraway haze
		west of the moon -- glitter silvered the water
		and the three fountains in our lagoon swooshed:
		hi.  we too are daughters.

		a headbanded ponytailed blond woman jogging
		a crisp-white hat-wearing latino man hosing down
		the conference center delivery dock as i brought in
		our corrugated packing across the empty parking lot

		good morning!

		returning surveying the trinkling greenery
		kind and mellow lemon air
		effervescences of work done
		recognition of i-am-alive
		i asked.  am i happy or am i unhappy?  i asked
		more than once. and?  and.  and later i found myself
		standing leaning -- wood -- the kitchen door
		one of two.  smoking ceremonially a bowl of
		the last blackberries of the summer.


			Marek Lugowski
			27-28 August 2000
			Chicago, Illinois