THE NORTH RIDING PROJECT

Down here, the sun clings to the earth and there is no darkness.
Down here, the silence of the sea and the silence of the swamp seep into our muscles.

All night, Dolores labors between the sea grapes and the empty park.
Our town prostitute, she listens for a long time. Her listening makes her strong.

*

Juan escapes from our prison: he duct-tapes Playboy magazines to his ribcage.
With his glossy carapace, he vaults over the razor strips of the chainlink fence.

Spencer Reece, “Florida Ghazal” in Reece/Clerk