Cat

by Alex Gallo-Brown

I called him ‘cat’

and cat he was.

An orange tabby, you might say,

although not me—

I know nothing about cats

and am only slightly better at color.

But I called him ‘cat’

and along he came.

Our relationship was simple, transactional.

I paid for his affections

with the pellets I bought once

from Petco—only bought them

the one time, we did not know

each other long.

He was an orange cat who lived

next door, a playful, affectionate,

jocular cat who slept on top of my car

and sunbathed on my front porch.

I suppose he had a soul

as well as the body I found yesterday

when I came down the front steps.

I hope that to die for him was different

than what he had supposed, and luckier.

Vouched Interview

I had a little interview go up the other day on the Vouched site to help promote a reading I'm doing with them in Atlanta on Friday. The link's here if you want to check it out.

Ore Derve Poem

I had a poem go up in the web journal Everyday Genius the other day. The link is here if you want to see.

Madness, Rack, Honey

I wrote up a book I really like -- Madness, Rack, and Honey, by Mary Ruefle -- for Fanzine today. It's not really a review. More like an appreciation.

Turning the Novel on Its Head

I had an essay go up at 3:AM magazine a few days ago about a book I really love: Ben Lerner's Leaving the Atocha Station. My essay is mostly a grad school thought experiment, but maybe you'll find it of interest. It's here.

Reading Audio

I read some poems Sunday night in Atlanta and Pop Up Radio recorded it as well provided the music. The audio is here. I begin at about the 1 hour, 30 minute mark and read for only about six or seven minutes or so. The other readers are Jimmy Lo, Amy Pursifull, Laura Carter, and Scott Daughtridge.

Empathy in the Age of Trolls

I did an interview with an author I like named Travis Nichols last week that went up on the Atlanta-based arts and culture site Fanzine today. The book's funny -- it's told from the perspective an internet troll who is writing in the comments thread of a culinary site called DebbieCookingFun.com. Nichols is also a poet, and the book has that compressed, precise feel. The interview's here if you want to give it a read.