poetry

Economists appear to aspire to something like a science of whether, to say with authority: cirrhosistratus leads to cumuloincubus with a chance four out of five. They do this to gain status in society. At their best economists are dull poets. They grope for a chair or a doorknob when others speak of building a … Continue reading economists

Right leg, left arm, left leg, right arm pump forward numbered torsos with identifying peculiarities. The House of Lords mounts an enquiry: name, age, years worked, state of health six thousand workers manufacturing in a distant factory. A crescendo of foot falls and the onslaught arrives threads drawing and twisting bobbing breasts and bulging muscles … Continue reading the masses

In the middle of an Iowa cornfield, a girl sits cross-legged amidst the stalks and songs caressing the nose of a nuclear missile. Further below, in Siberia, shame rides out to die alone in the woods while wrestlers and con-artists take over the town. Do you believe that codes multiply in dueling clones? Do you … Continue reading old war

On a lazy Sunday morning after a week of diligent bureaucratic service, bought a couple of rolls at the Giant deli, a cup of wildberry yogurt, and a little bottle of orange juice. Started eating a roll on my way across the parking lot. Food fills, drink spills – headed for the park. A few … Continue reading passing thro'

I wanna do some joins on a half gigabyte dataset that I’ve set up, but with my 200 MHz Pentium I’d be sitting around all day hearing the disk grind and watching the red light flash. I’m analyzing 26 million first names, the first name of every man, woman, and child in the United Kingdom … Continue reading holiday dialogue, c. 2000