Jeffrey McDaniel's (left) recent book with Pitt is THE ENDARKENMENT. I've known him and his work since he was a graduate student at George Mason and have admired his wild sense of humor since then. It's still news to a lot of poetry fans, but we're in the midst of a comic poetry renaissance, and the
best of the makers in this area don't just tell gags, they tap into the deeper absurdity of our time, mindful also – as George W. Bush has said (1 / 14 / 05)--that "in no way, shape, or form should a human being play God."
-– Ed Ochester
Wildlife on the 4
I was on the subway today,
and a guy showed me
his ostrich. I'm serious,
I looked over and he had this
checkered smile and his ostrich
by the neck, squeezing
the throat so tight
the ostrich's head was purple. HEY,
YOU CAN'T DO THAT, I wanted to say,
YOU CAN'T BRING OSTRICHES ON THE SUBWAY,
but this was New York, we don't
talk to strangers, so I looked
down at my newspaper
and thought about the plight
of a flightless bird, able
to run faster than most horses,
yet so hard to saddle.
--Jeffrey McDaniel
