New Mexico

What good does it do
a hummingbird not

to have a human hand
to hold out to it

in New Mexico
where there are so many

hummingbirds and wolves
breaking the glass ceiling

of the mountains in
the background--beyond the yurt?

And then I looked through my files
and noticed a diary

where I kept all of my
secret complaints: there was a sketch of

a wolf
holding up a glass ceiling and trying

desperately to kill
my domesticated dog named Milton.

There was also a man who
talked a lot a lot a lot

about the ins and outs
of the New York

publishing world. He
invited me to meet

an editor who opened
up a metal platter and out

came a tramp-like hummingbird
who held in its beak

a secret diary with
a sketch of a diamond yurt

and a glass ceiling
in the background

because when you're in
the mountains of New Mexico

it's important to keep
an eye on all domesticated

pets for their safety
and security.

Boy, I tell you,
it was powerful.

Everyone at the campfire
who read from the diary

was very impressed by
my long list of publications

on railroads, irony
and natural disasters

such as Hurricane Katrina.
Someone asked to publish

the diary immediately.
I said yes. Then

another man asked
me out to dinner but

I said I really don't
think it's such a good

idea considering
the fact that hummingbirds

contain so few calories.
We ended up in a modern storm

because we are modern
lovers prone

to modern excess. All of our
poems were drenched

and then we watched
the whole thing

just collapse on
the internet. All of the

text was intercepted
by all of the other

text was intercepted
by ghost children

pretending to read
the diary that contained

heavy metal roses
you sometimes see on

the tattoos of the
pathetic or at

grim shopping malls
covered in virgins.

Someday I plan
on moving back to

my native city
but for now,

I'm comfortable

sitting on top of
the chandelier

on the mountain
where I belong.