Floating Bridge Review Gala Rescheduled to July 9, 2010

We just sent Floating Bridge Review 3 off to the printer today, which is definitely something to celebrate. We got a little behind schedule, however, and since we want to have the Review in our hands when we hold the gala reading, we’re going to push back the gala to Friday, July 9.

Jack Straw has kindly offered us the use of the large studio for our event, which will begin at 7:00 pm. We hope as many contributors as possible can come read.

The Floating Bridge Review Gala Reading
Friday, July 9, 7:00 pm
At Jack Straw Studios
4261 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105-6999

The event is free and open to the public. We hope you will join us!

Just to get you in the mood, here are poems by Sharon Cumberland and Dennis Caswell, whose poems are featured in Part 1 of Floating Bridge Review 3.


Lipstick
by Sharon Cumberland

When I’m old, and my breasts
hang against my chest
like empty pockets;
when my irises have turned milky,
and the creases in my face
look like a drawstring bag—
then I’ll wear the reddest lipstick
I can get, the scarlet kind you
find at Woolworth’s for 99 cents.
I’ll be one of those old ladies
whose smeary red lips stand like a tent-pole
in the middle of my face,
holding up the center no matter how
the rest flags in folds around.
I will fly this red banner as if to say:
Look at me! You, too, will die
by the inch
from the outside in:
but if you ever had a night with a man
who really, really likes women,
your memories live in the lips!
They grin long past the time
your joints could hold them up.
These memories live in the mouth,
the old, red mouth,
just like that young one,
just like that hidden one,
when the body was glorious!


Day Is Done
by Dennis Caswell
Good night, high-energy physics;
sleep tight, professional pest control;
sweet dreams low earth orbit, adjustable breast implants,
Chinese peasants hand-painting blue eyes
on millions of Caucasian baby dolls.
We’ve walked the red carpet and gorged at the banquet,
and no one found out how we kept our trim figure,
so rest, ecological stewardship; dream deep,
free shipping with orders of $25 or more;
sleep well, art collection, garbage collection,
1960’s lunch-box collection, new fall collection.
I wish we could do it all one more time,
but it’s late, so night-night, inky tannins, smoky backnote;
rock-a-bye, latte silk charmeuse knotted gown;
close your eyes, passionate, disruptive syntax,
rich colors and textural subtleties
perceptible only in the original.
Today was just great; we’ll never forget it.
Now sleep.
Tomorrow, we’re all going home.