Late Empire. Lisa Olstein

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      Thank you. We hope you enjoy these poems.

       This e-book edition was created through a special grant provided by the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. Copper Canyon Press would like to thank Constellation Digital Services for their partnership in making this e-book possible.

       Toby (for you)

      Contents

        Title Page

        Note to Reader

        Dedication

      1  Built for It

      2  This Is Our American America Here is Your Son

      3  Arrangements

      4  Questions Are an Attribute of God

      5  The Disaster

      6  Night People

      7  What We’re Trying to Do Is Create a Community of Dreamers

      8  We Look Forward to Seeing You Again Soon

      9  It All Lights Up

      10  Possibility of Repair

      11  The Messengers Come When You Are Sitting at the Table

      12  Blue Water Navy

      13  Air Rights

      14  I Want to Save This Whale

      15  Turned Back the Disaster Comes Back

      16  Cold Comfort

       *

      1  Nothing Good Gets Away

      2  Lake Effect

      3  Imply a Future

      4  My Life Blew Upon

      5  A Hundred Thousand Questions Why

      6  Herd Flock Hive

      7  Waiting for You to Speak I Mouth the Words

      8  Fall Back Position

      9  Good Deeds Undone

      10  We Mourn the End by Applauding

      11  Wrong Question

      12  Private Dick

       *

      1  The Resemblance of the Enzymes of Grasses to Those of Whales Is a Family Resemblance

      2  It’s Another Deadly Day

      3  Sad Promotion

      4  To the Left of Boom

      5  Space Race

      6  Now Lead Me Out of This Story, Spirit

      7  A Simple Lesson on the Buried Spirit

      8  Other Things in View

      9  The Invention of Perspective

      10  A Crucial Error

      11  Essay Means to Try

      12  Despair Fire

      13  Every Pastoral Is an Elegy