Becoming Flat

" Becoming Flat "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Grayish
brown
above
paler
below
head
depressed
cusps
slanted
becoming
flat
feeding
on
offal
known
to
follow
the
darkest
blotches.

Thrown

" Thrown "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

So large
for so long
likened
to a smoldering backbeat
thrown together inexplicably
then smoothed out a bit
with last-minute hints...

Absurdities

" Absurdities "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Playing like a novel
in the much ballyhooed future
as hard-charging absurdities
screech at breakneck speed.

Layered

" Layered "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

The new
the next
new
and
the next
new
after
that
lay-
ered
with
con-
front-
ation-
al
over-
sight
suc-
cinct
and
fair-
mind-
ed.

Poignantly Palpable

" Poignantly Palpable "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Neither
admitted
nor denied
by the eyes
a poignantly
palpable
vivid hint
just above
stunning.

Night and Day

" Night and Day "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Second thoughts
challenges await
night and day
showing restraint
using a tiny sanctuary
as an escape
into another spate
of unrestrained
imagination.

Otherwise

" Otherwise "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Impress-
ive
over-
all
the
quest-
ion
was
whet-
her
other-
wise
epheme-
ral
lum-
in-
ar-
ies
cob-
bled
to-
get-
her
are
large-
ly
un-
watch-
able
non-
stop.

Channelling

" Channelling "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Channelling hidden
risks quickly dismissed
as frivolous when stick-
to-it-iveness finishes
with the short end of the stick.

Opaque Frustration

" Opaque Frustration "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Long-a-
waited
creatively
vague
second
generations
made
from opaque
frustration
existing
as
highly
enriched.

Surrounded

" Surrounded "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Seeming to rise
inconceivably
surrounded
spinning out
waking up
with a hand-
ful of dust
framed
and hung.

Deciding Whether

" Deciding Whether "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Sin-
ewy
drips
spi-
dery
webs
re-
cent-
ly
ren-
dered
de-
cid-
ing
whether
be-
coming
rest-
less
pre-
empts
suc-
cess.

Glimpses

" Glimpses "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

With-
in
strol-
ling
dis-
tance
fleeting
glimpses
splashy
ex-
hibtions
slap-
dash
con-
sis-
ten-
cies
deter-
mined
exactly.

Notably Cold

" Notably Cold "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Arms
con-
trol
loosening
the hold
on il-
legal smoke
not-
ably
cold
over-
dosing.

Upheaval

" Upheaval "

by Suán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Day
of up-
heaval
many
hur-
dles-
remain
both so-
phisti-
cated
and un-
wieldy
cuts in
capa-
city
forced
to flee
stag-
geringly.

Banning the Sale

" Banning the Sale "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Began

the pre-
carious task

banning
the sale

declaring
the land

a rural
area

ensnared.

Dangerous

" Dangerous "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Slow
notification
dangerous
defects
edging
towards
recalls
for floor
mats
last fall
plus
sudden
unintended
acceleration
tracing
data
filing
claims.

Held Up

" Held Up "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

A
bee-
like
hum
dif-
fi-
cult-
y
a-
mong
dro-
ning
co-
ali-
tions
pain-
stak-
ingly
held
up
in
vul-
ner-
able
hubs
of
stepped
up
des-
truc-
tion.

Supporting Characters

" Supporting Characters "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Supporting characters
of recent vintage
constantly shifting
like the reflective facets
of a spot-lit disco.

Over-the-Top

" Over-the-Top "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

A merger
a modern
all-star
slog through
an over-the-top
promenäde.

Averted - For Now

" Averted - For Now "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Weighing in
lashing out
averted - for now
linking security
to the layering
of flag waving.

April Fool

" April Fool "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Most
no-
torious
promise
of war
offshore
vowing
more
muted
support
proven
crucial
April Fool
;)

Microcosm

" Microcosm "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Artsy
micro-
cosms
collide
with
secret-
revealing
subatomic
particles
then
evanesce
as fiery
insights.

Anonymity

" Anonymity "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

To the brink
armies
from the heart
plotting
anonymity
to a degree
potentially
bigger
studies released
hand-wringing.

A Pulse

" A Pulse "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Lawmakers fake a pulse
inherently disrupted
by intrinsic risk.

Always At the Ready

" Always At the Ready "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Breath-
takingly
bathed
in intrepid
descendants
always at the ready.

Allure

" Allure "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Heightened
allure
immortal
bouncing
voices.

Life-Long

" Life-Long "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Life-
Long
dog-
ged
self-
dev-
elop-
ment
topsy-
turvy
plots
fav-
o-
rite
spots
non-
stop
bar-
rages
heart
throbs
crack-
pots.

With a Twist

" With a Twist "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

With a twist
expediencies
that trump
reason
with critical
figures
wandering.

Backlash

" Backlash "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Pushing back
backlash
snapshot
peace plan
facing blows
boutique bat
enthusiast
drawback.

Bridging

" Bridging "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Bridging patterned apertures
with elaborate organic lattices
sheathed with filigrees
of greying tensility.

Streaking

" Streaking "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Evading
the day
outshined
unmanned
sought after
streaking
across
every war
as a matter
of course.

Pronounced

" Pronounced "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Wingspreads
stiffly held
petrels
with a pronounced
tooth at the end.

Transformed

" Transformed "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Matched up
flashed back
midcourse
at cost
transformed.

B

Abuzz

" Abuzz "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Affectingly
understated
yet highly
acclaimed
wrenchingly
abuzz
and
dazzlingly
befuddled
when
falling
in love.

Gaining Entry

" Gaining Entry "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

A vivid bridge
opens
gaining entry
into the curative
vernal
world of purple.

Elegaic Exhilaration

" Elegaic Exhilaration "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Forthcoming
inside the hall
an elegaic
exhilaration
at a brisk pace.

Once Shocking

" Once Shocking "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Once
shocking
now poetic
grand stage
outrageous
sacred.

Amid the Absence

" Amid the Absence "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Known for moaning
amid the absence
of a sense
of adventure
within minutes
of dismal darkness.

Full Force

" Full Force "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Full force
stressed out
restaged
blow by blow
the first show
engrossing
quasi-naïve -
exploding.

Cosmic Quick

" Cosmic Quick "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Leaps of faith
under fire
on a tag line
big enough
to be called
cosmic quick
in a zippy sitcom.

Whispered Validities

" Whispered Validities "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Whispered validities
pit angry victims
against city officials
poised to reach
a grievous deal.

Numberless

" Numberless "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Banefully
complacent
plus
unctuously
smug
lumbering
plunderers
summon
up
numberless
victims
of
limitless
retaliatory
gore
with
punitively
innumerable
brutal
retributions.

Strict Conditions

" Strict Conditions "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Under strict
conditions
of anonymity
paranoidal corps
hoard scores
of forewarnings.

High Risk

" High Risk "

by Suzán Jiván

for Linda Erlich

Bidding invisible billions
in a distal pitch
for high-risk
contiguous contaminants.

Missing Links

" Missing Links "

by Suzán Jiván

for Swain

During the deal
of delinquent dreams
missing links immediately
repeat recent deceits.

Ebony

" Ebony "

by Suzán Jiván

for Swain

Emergent
stems
of
glistening
emerald
effervesce
against
fertile
cells
of
ebony.

Forced to Start

" Forced to Start "

by Suzán Jiván

for Swain

Forced to start
with two diamonds
wondering
if the game
is even makable
like a diagramed deal
with the players
still straining to make
a positive statement
in the final contract
after discarding
the diamond
king-queen.

Emblematic Black

" Emblematic Black "

by Suzán Jiván

for Swain

Iconic
lines
of bright white
streak
across expansive
paths
of emblematic black.

Seismic Cries

" Seismic Cries "

by Suzán Jiván

for Swain

Outsized seismic cries
inevitably rise
after the stultifying denial
of the exponential heft
and gut-wrenching complexity
of the radiating devastation
of a high-magnitude quake.

In Essence

" In Essence "

by Suzán Jiván

for Swain

In essence
a huge step
reducing
nuclear
arsenals
posturing
as subatomic
particles.