thee istsfor manity reader

yield

time and space yield to no one
tho anthropogenic change has slowed
the spin of the earth
milliseconds of fat
water around the equator
you and your grandchildren’s grandchildren
may not note it but the meta—
verses will: a financial irregularity
a capitalization a millisecond too late
mega millions missing or lost

and so, no matter how far away
i move from my hometown
the places stay the same
but imperceptibly changed
in a tangential but indelible way

way too often i return
nothing is ever really the same
the more i come back the more
i change

the song remains the same

What I’m Reading:

As polar ice melts, water moves from the poles toward the equator — making our Earth bulkier and rotate slower… For billions of years, Earth’s movements — how it spins and at what speed — have been primarily determined by forces beyond human influence, such as the pull of the moon and processes at our core and mantle. Now, the melting of Earth’s ice sheets, accelerated by human-driven warming, is influencing those motions.

— Kasha Patel / “Why melting ice sheets are making our days longer” / The Washington Post

swash papaya

a swash papaya rolls gently onto my toes—
desolate place this—
oil sheens in eddies on sand once white
just what is that color now?

the swash papaya inedible
soft and blackened on its equator—
equality evanesces much like a savage republic
replaces what it once paid lip service

this swash papaya will never touch my lips
as otiose as an indian summer
when everyday is hotter than the next
this island is thee heatdome

swash papaya rots—
oiled and poisoned—
i eat air
no sustenance here

What I’m Reading:

I am aware of the state of our world. How could I not become radicalized against it?

— aeon ginsberg / “about this poem” / poem-a-day

erie canal: post mortem

once was good
another half: right
twice, too much—
not never again,
but on to something new…

What I’m Listening To:

Frogmarching us home to a bed made of tears
Kris Kristofferson walks by kicking a can
In a shirt he hasn’t washed for years
Hop inside my coat
Hop inside my coat

— Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds / “Frogs”

Memorable Stuff I Read This Week

America’s political treatment of the climate crisis has, for some time, been divided, messy and somewhat dangerous. Now, it seems the culture wars have come for the issue, too.

While Donald Trump infamously called climate change a “hoax”, outright denial of global heating has taken a back seat for most Republicans ahead of November’s presidential election, with disdain instead poured upon an array of climate solutions.

— Oliver Milman / “Down to Earth” / The Guardian

Dementia’s wheeled to the window
for the fireworks, like boneless
Beanie Babies slumped in a rear windshield,
dreamers, no-timers, past time.

— Sarah Trudgeon / “In the Red”

But two facts are clear: it is impossible to understand the Cuban Revolution without understanding Miami, and it is impossible to understand Miami without understanding the Cuban Revolution.

— Ada Ferrer / Cuba: An American History

My mother says when she is anxious she finds a seam, 
finds stitches on her clothes, on furniture she’s near, always 
a verge has that feel, birch joints, wrinkles. It’s a relief
to think with the hands.

— Bradley Trumpfheller / “Loom”

We all dream of a greater America
I want you to be paid a living wage
live in affordable housing
without college debt
or medical debt
or credit card debt
or national debt
I want no more racism
I am speaking of a New America
I am part of New America
whether you like it or not
so join me, please

— Huascar Medina / “New American”

Hurricane Beryl, which slammed into Texas on Monday after wreaking havoc in the Caribbean, was supercharged by “absolutely crazy” ocean temperatures that are likely to fuel further violent storms in the coming months, scientists have warned.

— Oliver Milman / “Hurricane Beryl supercharged by ‘crazy’ ocean temperatures, experts say” / The Guardian

We comprehend it now this land is two lands
one triumphant bully one still hopeful America
Imagining amber waves of grain blowing in the wind
purple mountains and no homeless in America
Sometimes I still put my hand tenderly on my heart
somehow or other still carried away by America

— Alicia Ostriker / “Ghazal: America the Beautiful”

What I’m Listening To:

Hey
We’re boiling angels
Let’s kiss for hours
Equal power
Let’s make it art

— Wilco / “Annihilation”