From The Iliad

Book Two, Part One
.
1.
Now
night
.........in his heart
.
in words
..................no longer
..............................his words
.
a cloud of
.................horses
.
................................so numerous
.
2.
far away
.................the flowing
.
.........................................city
.
...................................in your heart
.
3.
the flowing
.........................city
.
...........................no longer
...........................within your heart
.
4.
flocks
of
men
caught in
..................cities
.
..................numbered
..................counted
..................allotted
.
.................................one to
.........................................ten
.
so I
...........who live in the city
....................have rotted away
.
5.
the
.......wind moves
.
...................and men shout
..............................to the
...........................................sky
.
6.
no longer
each
voice
.
.........throwing
.....................words
.................................in anger
.
7.
forever
............the shrill noise of
.
...................................words
.
8.
I tell you
.
............strip away your
...............................howling
...............................tear-drops
.
...............................speak
.........................................again
.........................................to
.........................................his heart
.
9.
years
.........curved
....................and empty
.
gathered
.....................under
...........................the shining water
.
.......................................the leaves
.
10.
he spoke
.
..................and poured
................................words
.
........................................in
...........................................to
.
...........................................running
...........................................blood
.
11.
you
......spoke
.
..............the city
...........................has given me
.
...............................................words
.
.....................................................and each man
.....................................................separate
.
......................................................but
......................................................never alone
.
12.
no more
....action
.
13.
she swept
...............the
....................forest
...............the mountain
......................the birds
.............................the meadow
.
.........................into
...............................a milk pail
.
14.
you
........only the rumor of
.
.....................................a voice
.
15.
the
earth
.
.........the arrangement of horses
.
16.
the sea
.
.............the swarming
.
...........................lovely
.....................................city
.
............................his heart
............................her lamentations
.
17.
he
.
......the voice
......without memory
.
.................the heart
........................trembling

From the Iliad

Book One
1.
all birds
............set them together
....................beside
.......the heart.
.
2.
I will not give back
.
do not make me
..
3.
smoke
.............sat down
..
and addressed them:
..
4.
his two eyes
.........you said
...................for the sake of
.
.............................truth
..
5.
enough
..
go back
and pile your heart
.....................above all
.
love
.
6.
I myself
.....am
................the heart
,
............within
......................mind and spirit
.
equally
...........for no man
.......................turned about,
.
eyes shining.
..
7.
in words
let go
your heart
..
8.
to hear all this
.
you and in my time I
..
...........once
......................again
......................in the earth
..
9.
made
given
..
............every
.....................thing
..
..........................your thoughts
.................................fight
............in words
.............................beside
.............................the water
,,
10.
a word
.............in his own heart
..
my sight
..............to be taken away

..
if ever
..............ruinous heart
...........................perish.
..
they walked back
in sorrow
;
11.
everything
....................made
..............................out
..............................of
..............................gold
..
above all
the heart
.
12.
may all
................the tears fall
..........................weeping
..
...........your life is
......................brief
......................thunder
..
13.
heaped
.............in his arms
..
their hands
......... arms
..........voice:
..
.......................you listened
,,
14.
spread
..
scattered
.
.....................his heart
......................................in
................................the tall sky
..
15.
she
speaks of
..............these things
.
he spoke
.
...................these two
...................................shining
spoke
to your heart
..
16
in the morning she
.....................and
..............................I
..
you are always full
....................my heart
...............................in silence
...................unconquerable
.........................................in silence
to bring comfort
.
17.
He spoke
..
...................the sun
beautifully
...............sweet
..........................the light
built a house
........................of
..................................gold

Poem

My poem "These Violets" has been published online at Turntable & Blue Light.

Review of Carbon

Mark Lamoureux's kind review of Carbon in the Boog City is now available online.

Click HERE to read it. The review is on the second page.

Review of Carbon

There is a review of Carbon at Pulse Magazine. Written by Gary Gautier.

Hello

My name is Michael Ford. I live in New Orleans. My first full length book of poems, Carbon, was published in August 2006 by Ugly Duckling Presse.

I intend to use this blog mostly to share the old photos, postcards, notes and so forth that I've collected over the years. These things contain if not poetry itself (and some of them do, I think) at least the germ of poetry.