Jim Valvis is a poet, fiction writer, and essayist who lives in Issaquah WA. His poetry is finely crafted, keenly observed, and often laugh-out-loud funny. There is an integrity in his work that, coupled with his 5-star writing chops, is deeply moving. His poems are smart, but never smart-aleck; personal but never self-absorbed; witty, but never flippant. I love his work and was very proud to publish his poem, "The Extension" , in the most recent issue of Praxilla (click and read it, hurry hurry - it kicks ass!). You can find his work in many journals, both online and in print, including A Handful of Dust, Boston Literary Magazine, Gargoyle, Crab Creek Review, and many, many others. His first full-length collection, How To Say Good-bye, is scheduled for publication in September by Aortic Books. I can't wait.
In the meantime, here is one of Jim's poems. It originally appeared in the now-defunct Wormwood Review in about 1994.
The Disease
"I smack," she said,
"the oriole
riding the rodeo
of disinfected dreams."
"Huh?" I said.
"But lately the
pontification
of the shedding serpent
slips
into perfection."
"What the hell
are you talking about?"
I said.
"It's poetry," she said.
"Well," I said,
"cover your mouth, goddammit.
I can't miss
any more days
at work."
