Juniperus Flamenco by Jenny and Ande Enochsson

The end of winter arrived, but the rooms of the house remain cozy in the details of a modern central heater. Such is the way of Texas weather. So, what is a better way to spend an afternoon than to sit down with Juniperus Flamenco, the most recent book of poems by Ande and Jenny Enochsson.

This couple lives in Sweden and have established themselves as talented writers, amazing poets, as well as fine publishers and editors. As the founders and owners of Rufous Press,
they have edited a number of works, both collaboratively and individually, but their latest, Juniperus Flamenco is well worth taking the time to read and then read again.

Any collection of contemporary poetry would be incomplete without this book. Both Ande and Jenny employ evocative imagery with a simplistic touch of complex thoughts and ideas. Their multilayered writing will astonish the reader with each page containing a treasure.

Telling Myself A Little Story

A thick tongue tries to stir words,
those whiskey thoughts
that bloat a throat in a gut burn swallow
all the way down. 

White noise,
a static background of less than romantic music,
dances off walls,

leaving me to stagger in my swagger
and grope for the right way to say

the line,
any line,
oh please just any line,

as I stand looking at you in the bar back mirror.

But even with the pause to inhale from a cigarette,
always the pause, of course,

I slump,
stumped by the lack of words,

intoxicated
and frustrated
in my own regurgitated silence.


Akeith Walters 0212

Goat Diary by June Reedy

Picture this: 200 acres of the Texas Hill Country, scrub cedar, a previous life of more than seventy years spent in the downtown heart of San Antonio, and goats, dogs, …and more goats that behave like adorable dogs, …and then throw in the wit of Erma Bombeck, and you have a great, hilarious, heart-tugging odyssey of a couple of retired executives, as told by June Reedy in her book Goat Diary.





It has been a long time since I have been so entertained by so many pages of wit and charm about something so improbable as goat ranching. Ms. Reedy goes above and beyond with her words to hold her reader awake late at night or left sitting at the breakfast table late for work. 

This Goat Diary should be purchased and read and recommended to friends and coveted with a special spot on your bookshelf. It will leave you laughing with a warm smile pulling on your lips as you fall asleep, walk your dog, or when just sitting in front of your television.

Goat Diary by June Reedy

Available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, or directly from the author herself at gaotdiary@gmail.com.


.

Old Man Can’t Run Away

I dart across the dry dirt

of all those years dumped beyond my porch,
drawing a dotted line from the front door
with bare feet.

But no good comes from running away
when a cough catches up

and old legs jam against cracked cement
and trip on uneven turf
sown on greener wetter days.

Like everything else that begins
and ends
in life,

remaining upright in the dirt
provides the loftier challenge

as the grime gathers under jagged edges

in a faltering grip
of yellowing nails.



Akeith Walters 2011