Hapy Birthday Kim Addonizio

 High Desert, New Mexico

by

Kim Addonizio

Temple of the rattlesnake’s religion.
Deluge and heat-surge. Crèche of the atom’s
rupture. Night blackens like a violin
and bright flour falls from the kitchens of heaven.
This is where the seams begin to loosen,
where you can walk for miles in any direction—
rabbit, lizard, raven, insect drone—
and almost forget the shame of being human.
Smoketree. Sage. Not everything is broken.
Horses appear at this remote cabin
to stand outside and wait for you to come
with a single apple. Abandon
your despair, you who enter here forsaken.
The wind is saying something. Listen.

Kim Addonizio’s latest books are a memoir, Bukowski in a Sundress:Confessions from a Writing Life (Penguin) and a poetry collection,Mortal Trash (W.W. Norton). She is also the author of two novels, two books of short stories, and two books on writing poetry. She teaches poetry workshops online and in her home in Oakland, CA. Visit her at www.kimadddonizio.com.