I AM SUPPOSED TO MAKE CONNECTIONS.
LIKE LINES. A SINGLE LINE FROM THE TOP OF THE
CEILING TO YOUR ANKLE BONE.
A LINE THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU
AND THE WALL.
YOU ARE LEANING AGAINST THE WALL.
THE LINE OF WHERE YOUR BODY TOUCHES.
OR YOUR BACKBONE TO YOUR KNEECAP –
THE PARTS OF YOUR BODY TOUCHING
THE CHAIR YOU ARE SITTING ON.
YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM
AND ONLY YOUR FEET TOUCH THE FLOOR –
A HAND ON YOUR HIP.
IN THIS CHAIR – IN THIS ROOM.

GOOD VERY NOT AND BITTER REALLY IS TEA
EVEN BUT TEA SOME MAKE MILKWEED
WALK TO START AND AIR COLD
MOVE TO HOW UNDERSTAND LUNGS
YOUR SOON BUT BREATHE
TO WAY WHICH KNOWN IT MAKING NOT
FIRST AT BODY YOUR STARTLES WHICH COLD
OF KIND THE AIR FROZEN AND LAND FROZEN
OF A BOOK THIS IS
HAVE I ALL AND PARTY WILD THIS ENJOY TO HERE
NOT IS LEO AND FRIENDS HIS AND WIFE HIS
WITH HERE NOT IS EUELL

OPEN THE BOOK
HALFWAY THROUGH
THE KIDS CAME AROUND
AND HE TOLD THEM:
THE ORDINARY CATTAIL HAS EDIBLE RHIZOMES,
SPROUTS, HEARTS, BLOOM SPIKES, AND POLLEN.
AND ONE OF THEM SAID:
JUST TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT FOR DINNER AND I
WILL MAKE IT FROM CATTAILS
BURDOCK HAS EDIBLE ROOTS, FLOWERSTALKS AND
LEAF STEMS
IT DID A FAIR JOB OF TURNING THEM ON
AS DID DANDELIONS AND CHICORY, WHICH FURNISH
EDIBLE CROWNS, GREENS AND ROOTS. ONE CAN
EVEN DRINK THE ROOTS OF DANDELIONS AND
CHICORY, FOR WHEN THEY ARE ROASTED AND
GROUND THEY FURNISH TWO OF THE BEST COFFEE
SUBSTITUTES IN ALL OF NATURE.

PIE CHERRY WILD AND TEA CHICORY
OF TASTE REMEMBER
MARK WITH MUSCLES FRESH
MANY TOO EATING MAINE ON COAST
LINEN BLUE ON SCRIPT BLACK TITLE’S
THE SEE AND TABLE ON BOOK THIS PASSED
WALK WHEN EXPERIENCE THE THERE
TAKE TO TRYING ONLY IS BOOK
FROM ANYTHING LEARNED
HAVE SEE AND WALK AND LAND OUR
OF BOARDERS IN OUTSIDE GO
YEAR OF NIGHT LONGEST
THE PASSED DAYS FEW IS TODAY

TURN THE PAGE
THEY WENT WILD OVER WILD PARSNIPS,
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES, AND WILD CARROTS.
PERSIMMONS, WILD GRAPES, BLACK HAWS AND
WINTERGREEN BERRIES WERE EATEN WHEN FOUND
– DIRECTLY FROM THE PLANTS – AND EVERYONE
NIBBLED ON PURFLANE STEMS, SHEEP SORREL
LEAVES, GROUND CHERRY FRUITS, GREEN
PEPPERGRASS SEEDS, AND OTHER WILD TIDBITS AS
WE WALKED ALONG. EVERYONE TASTED WILD
GARLIC AND WILD ONION – AND THEN WE MOVED IN
A CLOUD OF FRAGRANCE. THEY DUG UP
GROUNDNUTS AND HOG PEANUTS TO TAKE BACK
AND COOK.

GOOD TASTE HONEY AND CURE CAN SAP
THE GLUE LIKE USE OR GUM LIKE CHEW AND SUN
THE REST LET IT MILK TWINE STRONG
MADE CAN STEM THE RIND AND BARK THE BUFFALO
TOUGH WITH POT THROW PROPERTIES
HAVE THEY GREEN EMERALD BEAUTIFUL
TURN THEM OVER WATER POUR
BUT EYE THE FUZZY SOMEWHAT COLOR
IN GREEN GRAYISH ARE PODS OR BUDS
MILKWEED OKRA
COOKED AND GATHERED CAN THEY STILL
ARE SEEDS AND SILK AND TEXTURE
IN FIRM LONG INCHES
ONLY ARE AS MANNER SAME
THE COOKED AND GATHERED
CAN BUDS BEADLIKE CROWDED ACROSS
HEMISPHERES GREEN GRAYISH BECOME LEAVES
APPEAR THAT FLOWERBUDS CONSIDERED BE
SHOULD LEAVES RAW IF GOOD TASTE
LOADED LIKE YOUNG
TENDER THE GATHER

LEO WOULD HAVE READ THIS BOOK –
HE WOULD HAVE MET EUELL GIBBONS.
OR GONE TO ONE OF HIS WILD PARTIES.
HE WOULD HAVE INTRODUCED HIM TO MY MOTHER.
LEO WAS HER CLOSEST COUSIN. HE WAS A DOCTOR
AND LIVED IN SAN FRANCISCO. HE OWNED A SMALL
PIECE OF LAND IN SANOMA COUNTY – BUT THE
LAND WAS GIVEN TO HIS BOYFRIEND AFTER HE DIED
IN 1983. LEO USED TO COME AND STAY FOR WEEKS
AND MONTHS AT OUR HOUSE. HE TAUGHT MY
OLDEST SISTER TO SPEAK. HE TOLD HER WORDS
LIKE LAVENDER AND OATMEAL. HE TAUGHT MY
PARENTS HOW TO MAKE KIMCHE AND TOFU AND
SOYMILK – HOW TO GRIND THEIR OWN GRAINS TO
MAKE FLOUR FOR BREAD. LEO WOULD WANDER THE
LAND TRACING THE HISTORIES OF THE TREES. HE
ONCE MADE A MAP OF ALL THE EDIBLE
MUSHROOMS. AND BROUGHT THE BEES IN TO MAKE
HONEY IN THE BACK FIELD ON THE OTHER SIDE OF
THE STONE WALL WHERE THE BLACKBERRIES ARE. I
THINK OF LEO WHEN I EAT MUSHROOMS AND WHEN
I LISTEN TO MY OWN BABIES TEACH THEMSELVES
TO TALK.

TALK TO THEMSELVES TEACH BABIES
LISTEN WHEN MUSHROOMS EAT WHEN LEO
ARE BLACKBERRIES THE STONE SIDE OTHER
BACK IN HONEY MAKE TO BEES
AND MUSHROOMS EDIBLE
THE ALL MAP MADE ONCE TREES OF HISTORIES THE
TRACING LAND THE WANDER WOULD LEO
BREAD FOR FLOUR MAKE TO GRAINS
OWN THEIR GRIND TO HOW
SOYMILK AND TOFU AND KIMCHE
MAKE TO HOW OATMEAL AND LAVENDER
LIKE WORDS TOLD SPEAK TO SISTER STAY AND
COME 3 8 9 1 BOYFRIEND TO LAND
LAND OF PIECE SMALL IN LIVED
AND CLOSEST WAS LEO
PARTIES WILD ONE TO GONE OR GIBBONS EUELL
BOOK THIS READ HAVE WOULD LEO

TURN THE PAGE
MILKWEED: GATHER THE TENDER, YOUNG, TOP
LEAVES AND PREPARE THEM LIKE SPINICH. LOADED
WITH VITAMINS C AND A, THEY TASTE GOOD IF
PROPERLY PREPARED AND SEASONED.
RAW MILKWEED LEAVES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED
SALAD HERBS WHEN THE FLOWERBUDS THAT
APPEAR IN THE AXILS OF UPPER LEAVES BECOME
GRAYISH-GREEN HEMISPHERES AN INCH OR SO
ACROSS, COMPOSED OF CROWDED, BEADLIKE
BUDS THEY CAN BE GATHERED AND COOKED IN THE
SAME MANNER AS BROCCOLI.

WHEN THE WARTY PODS ARE ONLY TWO INCHES
LONG, FIRM IN TEXTURE AND THE SILK AND SEEDS
ARE STILL UNDERDEVELOPED THEY CAN BE
GATHERED AND COOKED LIKE OKRA.
MILKWEED BUDS OR PODS ARE GRAYISH-GREEN IN
COLOR, SOMEWHAT FUZZY AND UNAPPEALING TO
THE EYE BUT POUR BOILING WATER OVER THEM
AND THEY TURN A BEAUTIFUL EMERALD GREEN
THEY HAVE MEAT-TENDERIZING PROPERTIES
THROW THEM IN A STEW POT WITH TOUGH BUFFALO
THE BARK AND RIND OF THE STEM CAN BE MADE
INTO STRONG TWINE
MILK IT LET IT REST IN THE SUN AND CHEW IT LIKE
GUM OR USE IT LIKE GLUE
THE SAP CAN CURE WARTS
AND MAKES HONEY TASTE GOOD

COOK AND BACK TAKE AND DUG
FRAGRANCE OF CLOUD MOVED THEN
AND WILD AND WILD TASTED
EVERYONE ALONG WALKED AS WILD
OTHER AND SEEDS GREEN FRUITS GROUND LEAVES
STEMS ON NIBBLED EVERYONE
AND PLANTS FROM DIRECTLY FOUND
WHEN EATEN WERE BERRIES AND BLACK WILD
AND WILD OVER WILD WENT THEY TURN

TODAY IS A FEW DAYS PASSED THE LONGEST NIGHT
OF THE YEAR. I WILL GO OUTSIDE AND WALK ALONG
THE BOARDERS OF THIS LAND AND I WILL WALK AND
SEE IF I HAVE LEARNED ANYTHING FROM THIS
BOOK. BUT THIS BOOK IS NOT TRYING TO TEACH– IT
IS TRYING TO TAKE ME THERE – TO THE
EXPERIENCE. WHEN I WALK PASSED THIS BOOK ON
THE TABLE AND SEE THE TITLE’S BLACK SCRIPT ON
BLUE LINEN I REMEMBER HIM SITTING ON THE
COAST OF MAINE EATING TOO MANY FRESH
MUSCLES WITH MARK. I REMEMBER THE TASTE OF
CHICORY TEA AND WILD CHERRY PIE.

NATURE ALL SUBSTITUTES ARE THEY
FOR ROOTS DRINK EVEN LEAF AND FLOWERSTALKS
FROM IT MAKE WILL AND DINNER FOR WANT
AND POLLEN AND SPIKES BLOOM
HEARTS HAS ORDINARY
AND AROUND CAME KIDS

BUT EUELL IS NOT HERE WITH HIS WIFE AND HIS
FRIENDS AND LEO IS NOT HERE TO ENJOY THIS
WILD PARTY AND ALL I HAVE IS THIS BOOK AND A
LOT OF FROZEN LAND AND FROZEN AIR – THE KIND
OF COLD WHICH STARTLES YOUR BODY AT FIRST –
NOT MAKING IT KNOWN WHICH WAY TO BREATHE.
BUT SOON YOUR LUNGS UNDERSTAND HOW TO
MOVE COLD AIR AND YOU START TO WALK. I WILL
SEE IF THERE IS ANY MILKWEED LEFT – TO MAKE
SOME TEA BUT EVEN EUELL SAID THAT THE TEA IS
REALLY BITTER AND NOT VERY GOOD.

ROOM THIS IN – CHAIR THIS IN
YOUR ON HAND A FLOOR TOUCH
ONLY ROOM OF MIDDLE
YOUR OF PARTS THE KNEECAP TO BACKBONE
YOUR OF LINE THE WALL THE AGAINST LEANING
ARE YOU MAYBE WALL AND YOU
BETWEEN DISTANCE THE LINE A BONE
ANKLE TO CEILING THE TOP FROM LINE SINGLE
LINES LIKE CONNECTIONS MAKE TO SUPPOSED
AM I BEGIN WILL I SOMEHOW