Jeremy Eric Tenenbaum (Philadelphia, USA): "dear gr"

dear gr
etchen. hellos. i was
just now mentioning
to Pietyr of Left
Bank fame, you
know; it is 12:46 &
                            the play re
                            sumed with Lolita
                            in the role of Carl
                            Orf sans the uncome
                            ly goatee & it
is seven of march ninetee
n ninety-six is 12:47 or so
Europeans write; i am
so sorry I didn’t call yr
 
dance di
tracted me, desdom
ona shrt of brth in blue tights & fal
setto applause to thine own self. hellos. de
ar gretchen it is t
ime for a       new style this
                                                   one is tight!
                                                   at the cuffs yr
                                                   mother agrees w
                                                   ith me & the last act of “
                                                   Carmen but Pietyr
dear Gretchen: pietyr dis
sents he          says to thine o
wn self is a but much Oh
                                   the dress-ups! the autumn black ties bowing
                                   over the varnisht parquee & fire-
                                   flies wilde! on the hem & mown lawn, ja! an
                                   ev’nin tea; it
                                   is 12:57 mail
                                   will come at noo
                                   n or one
                                   p.m., wearing a leather jerkin, &
                                   the letter will read:
dear gretchen & dear not unkindly, vast, holy. hellos. i will b
e at the Concessions where Milly of La Rue St. Jean sells cig
arettes/ bubble gums/ ta
piocca pies & she loves me! & I love her! we h
ave never met ‘formal’ but the wedding’s in June Oh
spangld garlnd or bougainvillea, orchid, the padre presides
: will you, sin
cerely, the ai
sle dance/ with a skit of blue orchids, yr beautiful two-step fire-
fly thine-own-Self? dear  
 
 
© 1999

originally published in CPR 12