I wastold to have a seat while the managers finished their discussion in the otherroom, but I looked hard and long at the chair they offered me, a kitchen chairwith a vinyl covered cushion that was tan colored and creased in an ineptmachine tooled method to make the surface appear like leather. The lights inthe room dimmed somewhat and it seemed as if the entire floor of the buildinghad become one large elevator car; I could feel myself sinking to the depthsbelow the stomach to where nausea was a brew always waiting at the table youwalked away from in a hope that you could learn new ways to slake a thirst. Youreturn to where you were continually ill, you return to the place where disastersoccur like the arrival of mail and small teeming insect colonies when theweather gets warmer. Strange how I got tired of a life that made made sensewithout explanation, a life where every decision was followed by appropriateresponse , with the results being an equilibrium not unlike a placid likedreamed of in a passing Idyll, smooth surface, calm waters, perfectly diffusedsunlight . I got tired of that and wanted to lurk around the basement again, towallow among the empty boxes and bottles behind the figurative water heater;life should be a series of pipes that leaked contentedly. So here I was, on thethird floor staring at a kitchen chair's cheap vinyl covering, waiting for themanagers to finish their discussion in the other room.
Some remarks about some things
notes, investigations, digressions galore
Ted Burke
- Location
- San Diego, California,
- Birthday
- July 15
- Title
- Bookseller, writer, musician
- Bio
- Bookseller, musician, writer and poet living and working in San Diego, California. His writing has appeared in the San Diego Reader, Kicks, San Diego Door, Roadwork, Revolt in Style,and City Works.His poems have been included in the anthologies Small Rain: 8 poets from San Diego (1996,DG Wills Books),Ocean Hiway: eight poets in San Diego (1981,Wild Mustard Press) , and is the author of many chapbooks, including Hand Grenade, Open Every Window,No One Home and City Times,limited editions published by his own Old House Press.
MY RECENT POSTS
- Dolly wants to kill you
May 29, 2012 11:15PM - Fuhgeddaboutit - Oy vey! -
Salon.com
May 28, 2012 06:29PM - You can say that again, but
louder
May 27, 2012 10:35AM - On Longwindness
May 25, 2012 10:07PM - A poem about baseball in
Detroit, yay!
May 25, 2012 10:39AM
MY RECENT COMMENTS
- “Rand was smitten by
Monroe's persona no less than
any other
star struck kid and
p…”
March 08, 2012 06:46PM - “@George Hoffman:
Actually, Mailer didn't refer
to himself
as
"Aquarius"…”
January 01, 2012 07:12PM - “Mailer's meditation on
violence and evil will not be
every
one's idea of a good
n…”
January 01, 2012 07:07PM - “@Miguella: His
contradictions were what made
his brilliance
exasperating; I
sup…”
December 17, 2011 10:40AM - “Thanks wendy. It's not
that I'm against subjecting a
work to
critical
examination…”
August 14, 2011 06:44PM
Ted Burke's Links
- New list
- Salon
- New York Times
- Slate.com
- The Nation
- Like it or not


Salon.com
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