I received my copy of Diane Martin's new book Conjugated Visits the other day, fresh out from Dream Horse Press. I saw this book in manuscript, and love how it has turned out. Some favorite poems: "Sonhar," "Was You Ever Bit By a Dead Bee," "Two Bad Books," "Gal Friday." And this last poem in the book, just wonderful:

As It Never Was

The orange moon watching the fields
augurs a good harvest. Small children
unfurl ribbons and clap away crows.
The sky is painted lapis lazuli.
Evening: white-throated swifts cut the air
with their tails. They mate, fall,
uncouple right before they would
crash to earth. We drink apple beer
and sleep. In the distance
bell's toll. Summers, we journey
to the mainland. Once, on our return,
pink and silver dolphins leapt
among the long oars as we rowed.


*