two acknowledgments and one note of appreciation

I’d like to thank those among the dead

who've left something behind of themselves

so that I, a humble documentarian

might take advantage of whatever it is.

I’d also like to thank those semi-condemned to purgatory

for doing their time by keeping their mouths shut and not whining 

incessantly about not being able to... "see the face of God".

and finally an appreciation to Kim Addonizio 

for wearing that (whew!) flimsy red dress when we met

at Wong’s Café for coffee and day-olds late last night.

(the last stanza is inspired by Addonizio's poem

"What Do Women Want" in the volume: "Tell Me"

which should be required reading for boys stepping into puberty.)