14 Poems

My sold-out chapbook.

In June 2023, If a Leaf Falls Press published a chapbook by me titled 14 Poems. There were 200 copies in two printings. It sold out. Since then, I’ve continued working on those poems. In the latest edit, which I did today, I deleted 94 words and absorbed one poem into another poem, so that there are now 13 poems.

Below are the current drafts of these 13 poems. I’m working on a full-length poetry book, and these will probably constitute the first of the three or four parts of the book, which doesn’t have a title yet. I’ve been highly enjoying writing poetry these past four years. These poems were written beginning in 2020.

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Antirelationship Period

An hour of shopping 
was reserved for elders 
at Target on Sundays.
I watched North Korea 
and Ghana documentaries.
The city tortures trees.
Day 4 on Whitney Street.
Remember positive things.
2020. Practice writing afk.
Throat has been itchy.
Tell Dad to nibble garlic.
Another wave of despair.
Lapsing into complaints 
on March 7. Editing my novel.
My favorite period historically
has been the interim period.
Watching people fish online.
Apocalypse training.
I get negative when unhealthy.
I feel calmer out of cities. 
The plan keeps changing.
Stay calm and productive. 
Haven’t been alone this long 
in 2.5 years. Beaches heal.
$2600 place required car. 
I decided not to go
to Taiwan or New York. 
Biting thumbs a lot.
Happy supine at night
mentally exploring novel.
Taiwan banned foreigners.
Mom made a mistake. 
Mom lost a lot of money. 
I lapsed after 11 days. 
I want to heal my eyes.
Leis are flower necklaces.
The cell tower zapped me
from 150 meters away.
My mood was changing again.
Sitting on a bed doing nothing.