The endowments and the foundations won't, but you can help support my long-term exploration of the middle west, Vagabond In the Middle. Any donation to help defray expenses will be appreciated. Send to Tom Montag at: PO Box 8, Fairwater, WI 53931.
"elko + bar + bathroom + girlfriend" - Creek Running North
"what does a mole on the palm of the hand mean?" - Mole
"biro, slowly watching memory" - frizzyLogic
"pictures of someone who looks forgotten" - Blaugustine
"emily dickinson's address" - alembic
"heterosexual woman becomes lesbian in midlife" - Velveteen Rabbi
"if lost return to" - Slow Reads
"village voice newspaper headline when andy warhol died in 1987 village voice headline is god dead is god dead" - Marja-Leena
"I have no head" - Under a bell
"what can we do about privilege?" - Feathers of Hope
"stigmata montreal women" - Cassandra Pages
"Aztec sacrificial victims" - 3rd House Party
"ugliest woman ever" – Fishbucket
"prime number farting" - The Middlewesterner
"sasquatch beauty barn" - Via Negativa
"I have what looks like small pieces of bird seed in human feces my feces." - Nuthatch
"signs your girlfriend is not happy" - The Middlewesterner
"real tribe potion to become Immune to fire" - susannagig-jig
"does god blink" - The Middlewesterner
"Sleeping ovaries" - Find Me a Bluebird
"People find me offensive poem" - Find Me a Bluebird
"girlfriend taming" - The Middlewesterner
"naked librarians from north dakota" - The Middlewesterner
"signs a girlfriend is about to walk out" - The Middlewesterner
"naked girls at prayer" - The Middlewesterner
"what does 'behind the barn' mean" - The Middlewesterner
"basho farting" - The Middlewesterner
"white conic body lotion" - Mole
"what specifically is the emerald mole?" - Mole
"how to impress a tomboy girl" - The Middlewesterner
"ripon cookies for bear bait" - The Middlewesterner
"people who think they are cats" - The Middlewesterner
"crows and fog omen" - The Middlewesterner
"when you are walking in the spirit what does heat mean" - The Middlewesterner
"how to be more socialable" - The Middlewesterner
"what does making hay mean" - The Middlewesterner
"what does it mean to call someone an iowa farm boy" - The Middlewesterner
"What does it mean when there are 2-3 crows in your yard and you don't have a corn field?" - The Middlewesterner
"tomboy addiction" - The Middlewesterner
gunmetal tulle - findmeabluebird
mucho bonito senorita translation - findmeabluebird
"swollen rash" diagnosis - findmeabluebird
how to keep a kid occupied when sick and in bed - findmeabluebird
moose bums - findmeabluebird
uninterlaced - findmeabluebird
"red squirrels castrating grey squirrels" - The Middlewesterner
"short poems to impress a girl" - The Middlewesterner
"what is an important food crop in middlewest?" - The Middlewesterner
"the reason the elements of the writing process are important to poetry" - The Middlewesterner
"wallpaper, poet" - The Middlewesterner
"how to be a vagabond" - The Middlewesterner
"my jock strap hearts how can i fix it" - The Middlewesterner
"How do Hutterite deliver babies " - The Middlewesterner
"shelling corn slang" - The Middlewesterner
"lady of guadalupe as vagina symbol" - The Middlewesterner
"will the leaves still be on the trees October 21, 2006 in Davenport, Iowa?" - The Middlewesterner
"driving time between seydisfjordur and skaftafell" - The Middlewesterner
"impress a girl from north dakota" - The Middlewesterner
"how do tigers get born?" - The Middlewesterner
"jesus nude girls" - The Middlewesterner
"falling in love with a midwesterner" - The Middlewesterner
"shanties with cadillacs" - The Middlewesterner
"middle road sermon" - The Middlewesterner
"ephemeral as the summer fly" - Chatoyance
"how to paint ghost flames" - Chatoyance
"wine of cardui" - chatoyance
"kevlar bridal dresses" - Hoarded Ordinaries
"how to scold boyfriend" - Hoarded Ordinaries
"how to find your true self" - Hoarded Ordinaries
"it goes around the sun 4 times a year" - Hoarded Ordinaries
"how long does it take for a sprinter to regain his speed after a grade 1 hamstring tear" - The Middlewesterner
"understanding why crows like you" - The Middlewesterner
"customs and culture of the middlewest region of the United States" - The Middlewesterner
"naked girl in a pile of money" - The Middlewesterner
"dakota tom sandwich" - The Middlewesterner
"things to do in Middlewest US" - The Middlewesterner
"nebraska christian music thunderstorm" - The Middlewesterner
"naked girls performing prayer photos" - The Middlewesterner
"metaphysical stores in Davenport Iowa" - The Middlewesterner
"what does 'worthless as tits on a boar' mean" - The Middlewesterner
"what is silo liquid and why does it make the cats sick?" - The Middlewesterner
"names of the dinosaurs that live in water or pictures naked women" - The Middlewesterner
"alien + pigs + north + dakota" - The Middlewesterner
"poems for football players girlfriend" - The Middlewesterner
"what does 'making hay' mean?" - The Middlewesterner
"how do cows eat cabbage in south dakota" - The Middlewesterner
"what does a skunk mean in a dream" - The Middlewesterner
"what does the mole on the buddha mean" - The Middlewesterner
"hutterite bra" - The Middlewesterner
"when to planet vandalia onions" - The Middlewesterner
"The Republicans have been painting an unattractive portrait of Democrats roasting young children on a spit in the Capitol rotunda and what not" - The Middlewesterner
"kewpie doll karl rove" - The Middlewesterner
"Real photos of Mary and Joseph with Baby Jesus and a story how Mary got her baby, Jesus removed out of her stomach" - The Middlewesterner
"fog barn stillness beauty poetry" - The Middlewesterner
"redneck outhouse poems" - The Middlewesterner
"haiku farting basho horse" - The Middlewesterner
"signs that i'm a heroin addict" - The Middlewesterner
"how do you know if your ankle is sprung" - The Middlewesterner
"translations from spanish to english giving opinions about the preservation of wild cats in South America" - The Middlewesterner
"stealth bomber information" - The Middlewesterner
"emily dickinson with cowboy hat" - The Middlewesterner
"what causes bossy girlfriends" - The Middlewesterner
"owl hitting a windshield and meaning" - The Middlewesterner
"long arm handling gloves cat" - The Middlewesterner
"what does a rendering plant smell like?" - The Middlewesterner
"potion to become a superhero" - The Middlewesterner
"fried egg symbols of lesbianism" - The Middlewesterner
"when you are sixty years old should you move back to cold weather in michigan?" - The Middlewesterner
"learn poetry to impress a woman" - The Middlewesterner
"if you were asked to teach a character education program with which you found fault, what would you do?" - The Middlewesterner
"tractors porn" - The Middlewesterner
"does black or dark nail polish on a woman mean anything" - The Middlewesterner
"keeping warm in north dakota" - The Middlewesterner
This, another wonderful piece, as I've come to expect in the short time I've been following your blog. Being a Wisconsinite who likes to imagine himself a writer, I am, of course, familiar with your name, and am enjoying this opportunity to have such ready access to your writing.
I have put a link to "The Middlewesterner" on my blog, which has been followed by an English writer, Bruce Hodder, who's given you a rather nice review on his "Suffolk Punch".
A small and wonderful world.
Ralph, Suzanne, and MB--Thanks to all of you. You are too kind. It's a challenge: writing some "Lines" every day; thus far I have been able to stay at it. Time will tell if it amounts to anything. At the least I can no longer complain that I don't have time for poetry!
Ralph, I have been in touch with Bruce Hodder. Thanks.
This, another wonderful piece, as I've come to expect in the short time I've been following your blog. Being a Wisconsinite who likes to imagine himself a writer, I am, of course, familiar with your name, and am enjoying this opportunity to have such ready access to your writing.
I have put a link to "The Middlewesterner" on my blog, which has been followed by an English writer, Bruce Hodder, who's given you a rather nice review on his "Suffolk Punch".
A small and wonderful world.
-Ralph Murre
Posted by: Ralph Murre | January 19, 2006 at 08:40 AM
I'm with Ralph on this one, tom
it is absolutely delicious
or to cite a cliche
hits the nail
square on the head
Posted by: suzanne | January 19, 2006 at 03:11 PM
I like where these lines are going.
Posted by: MB | January 19, 2006 at 07:14 PM
Ralph, Suzanne, and MB--Thanks to all of you. You are too kind. It's a challenge: writing some "Lines" every day; thus far I have been able to stay at it. Time will tell if it amounts to anything. At the least I can no longer complain that I don't have time for poetry!
Ralph, I have been in touch with Bruce Hodder. Thanks.
Posted by: Tom Montag | January 19, 2006 at 07:46 PM
I wasn't sure where the hammer imagery was going - but these lines are golden.
They came leaping out of the blog at me.
And then I kept re-reading it.
Posted by: Daniel Ribar | January 19, 2006 at 11:18 PM
This is good!
Emptied of nails
A 2x4 is bathed in light.
Accross the sills of gaping mouths
The secrect of the hammer
Is held less tight.
Posted by: Bill | January 20, 2006 at 03:39 AM
I love this poem. The surprise is like the wave that falls on the sand--and then subsides.
Posted by: Elaine | January 23, 2006 at 12:23 PM
Thanks, Elaine. I appreciate hearing that.
Posted by: Tom Montag | January 23, 2006 at 12:37 PM
Thanks, Daniel. Sometimes you don't know what you've got til you put it out there to see if it can swim....
Posted by: Tom Montag | January 23, 2006 at 01:16 PM
Hey, Bill--thanks!
Posted by: Tom Montag | January 23, 2006 at 01:18 PM