24 years in america
		(prepared on going to the sun road, glacier n.p., montana)
		------------------------------------------------------------

		thank you.  thank you.  what is there to say.
		without you -- i would be nothing.
		oh sure, i would be something stuck in a heap of nothing.

		i can honestly say that i do not regret
		a minute of it, including the unaccounted for.  gaps.

		i would like to dedicate these past 24 years
		to my parents who made them possible.
		to my sister -- who always hit harder -- hey, wouldn't you?

		to all whom i love -- and to all who love me.

		to my grad school mentor dr. hofstadter and my many wise
		professors fellow students in bloomington and cambridge
		and while in dallas los alamos santa fe

		to all my wise and otherwise gfs

		to my college english teachers, dr. price and dr. jacobsen

		to my high school english teachers mr. zielinski and
		mr. sachaj and ms. ...oops.. i forgot...  but she
		was the most important of them all -- shy
		and from the islands.

		...made us listen to and read alice's restaurant in class
		and was patient.  mr. zielinski allowed me show slides
		from my first queen concert, genesis, and led zeppelin too.
		and play their music -- as my special project.

		finally, i would like to dedicate these 24 years to
		that special (shut up marie, dweeb -- special fits here)
		remarkable woman who is going to share my life one of
		these days real soon now.  babe, now would be a good
		time to send that first e-mail or bump into me in the
		icelandic or polish lit stacks.

		ahem.  would that be so!
		here's to the next 24 years.
		

			Marek Lugowski
			17 September 1973/1997
			Chicago/Chicago


   Come visit my Sept 17-updated magical mystery tour site; as well as 
   celebrate my 24th anniversary by visiting A Small Garlic Press's
   web page (same departure point, see below).  From no speak English
   to publishing poetry as a nonprofit corp.  "what took you so long?" :)