SUBJECT>Re: ** Arriving Early POSTER>Si mon EMAIL> DATE>1112369640 IP_ADDRESS>199.184.88.166 PREVIOUS>85711 NEXT> 85750 IMAGE> LINKNAME> LINKURL>

This is the kind of poem that is an enigma wrapped in sweet dough. It is the ghost of a poem. Not in a bad way. The first two stanzas read very well. I enjoyed them. The last one is a bit clunky. The three "ings" in the first two lines don't help.

: ** Arriving Early

: .
: .

: Where is the sound of conversation
: approaching, footsteps, polite
: laughter, discourse continued
: all the way from the parking lot?
: But there is no one here to explain,
: by raising a single eyelid,
: or sharing a discreet cough,
: the ground rules for engagement.

: You pace the room, disrupting
: a world of ice crystals
: your touch disembodies. But you must
: sense the roughness and smoothness
: at all costs, one more time.
: The possibility in all things,
: and of all things, lands
: squarely on your thin shoulders.

: You force yourself to stop pacing
: or staring in longing at the door
: you may have walked through
: from outdoors. Failing to find answers,
: you sit back in the deepest,
: most comfortable armchair,
: knowing full well it's
: the last thing you should do.

: .
: .

: Geoff Leone