Dear Joy Sullivan

This morning, finished reading Joy Sullivan’s poetry collection, Instructions For Traveling West. My book review—

I dog-ear only books to keep—

Thank you, Joy, for stirring up

words–

alien, familiar, culpable,

blessed as a fresh

tomato, a half-eaten pear,

red lipstick,

French 75,

hips and longing,

a diving creature of 

the deep blue