Breath of Trees, Grass and Flowers

[water]

If the
drip - drip - drip
falling from the leaves -
summer
spring time
fall as heavy
wears the ground away from the roots-
turns the hardest smooth
and tortures people to insanity...

Then proof is had
things as soft as lips
(and touching skins)
wear out, leave marks and distress.

Either way, the suns of silent operation,
the moons sweet light reflection silence
the breath of trees, grass and flowers...

-attack first for immediate compensation
-war is affliction.
-casual.

- steven hazen williams from anti-kirchenlied
About Anti-kirchenlied (A steal at $4):

The collection travels through Vermont’s rivers, mountainsides, sheds, country houses and backyards while taking detours through confused bedrooms, late nights in the dark and daydreams of musical perfection. Williams’ playful approach to language blends casual observation, imagination, and field-reporting into dense chunks of wistful whimsy – a window into the poet’s impressions of what is, what couldshouldbe(but isn’t) and what will most likely happen, given the way things usually work out.

Anti-kirchenlied will leave you appreciating the people who yell outside your house and steal records out of your car while reminding you how much you can get out of waking up before sunrise to take a long drive on the interstate for work. It’s a collection that provokes laughter and resignation, makes you think a little bit more about the kinds of things you think, and in the end encourages you to trade in all of your experiences for comfort and trust.

Steve Williams is a rock and roll poet with a heart of gold. Anti-kirchenlied is his best book yet.