Dear Nate,

I like to begin letters

with weather.  Today:

weird.  Breathing was

kind of a chore in

this faintly soggy

air, nothing I’m sure like

what you get down

south but crummy enough

for me.  Colorless

sun etc.  The sky all

diffuse and almost without

any texture.  Shirt sticking

a little to my skin, I

went into the afternoon

with pointless coffee

and nursing old gripes.  Now,

today is yesterday, and

the new today is better,

weather-wise.  With

baguette, cheddar, glass

of water I’m happy.  Out

my window the never-to-be-

identified tree shakes

its tiny red flowers

in the wind.  I should be

working but this is

more funner.  Bishop in

a letter somwehre says

writers like to write

letters because it gives

the feeling of working

without the actual work.

Or something like that.

Anyway amen.  I grow

dull.  Thank you for the

generous response to

the press.  I like

to think we’re all in it

together, and so, clearly,

do you, which is a comfort

and a quickening.  Speaking

of in it, I’ll be in

Monday for 24 hours tomorrow

which reminds me I love

those little Mondays on

The Duplications and am

wondering when the chapbook

comes out or if it (Monday,

Monday I mean) has already.

Let a brother know, yeah?

You’re good.  And I hope

you’re well.  The air here

just got so still.

Nico