"Migration" by Jacqueline Suskin

A few months ago, I struggled with how much money one gives Poem Store's Jacqueline Suskin when she states, "your subject your price." I agonized over this for weeks despite the best intention of requesting a poem quickly. One Sunday afternoon, I devised a plan: empty my wallet of all paper money (no matter what it is) and send it with the accompanying (inarticulate) text:

"This is something I think about all the time and would love to know what you would write: That intense longing and sadness that comes from seeing birds migrate through, knowing you can't follow them to the warm in the winter and the cool in the summer (but someday you will die trying)."

Last week, Jacqueline sent the far more eloquent poem below:

It now resides in my wallet next to the found $2 from Clemson, South Carolina, a Metro card with Nick Cave's Sound Suits, and a "ticket out of Indiana" from my father.

Jacqueline Suskin's "Poem Store"

[All images are from Jacqueline's website]

Watching the evolution of Jacqueline's Poem Store on twitter is another inspiration behind my desire to own a typewriter. She camps out at farmer's markets on the West Coast, transporting her machine, chair, table and umbrella on her bicycle. She types a poem in response to any requested subject on small, random sheets of paper in exchange for whatever price one is willing to pay. These actions happen quickly and spontaneously; the opportunity to live with her words is fleeting.

Sometimes people send her copies of the poems she writes. Many are available to view on her website and here are four that caught my eye:

If you are not in the vicinity of Los Angeles, Jacqueline offers the rest of us an opportunity to participate here. After spending nearly an hour with the Purchase page open on her website, struggling with how much to pay, I hereby resolve to complete the transaction before the week is over. I have a subject in mind but the price continues to evade me.

Jacqueline Suskin's "Go Ahead and Like It"

Oh how I love lists as an art form. Check out Jacqueline's new book project Go Ahead and Like It:
 

Her blog hosts an array of other people's lists in many formats (computer monitor, smartphone, and real pieces of paper). You can send your own to this address: listoflikes@gmail.com

It took me two months but here is mine:

Many feature activities that can only be done in the summer. I am trying to be patient as I only have two and a half more weeks of school (minus the one I am taking off for Photolucida). I am hoping to experience some of them very soon!

Jacqueline Suskin's "The Collected"

A couple months ago I received an email from the poet Jacqueline Suskin. She happened upon my website after reading my essay in Learning to Love You More and found a strong connection between her publication The Collected and my series The Lost Photographs.  In her book, she writes poems for found photographs that were acquired in Florida flea markets, from friends, or in the trash. She ever so kindly sent me a copy and I read it immediately upon opening. "You Are Not My Doe" draws a direct visual connection to We crossed Lake Te Anua...

My favorite piece in Jacqueline's book is "A Brown Study Market" mainly because I would like to think that I do the same:

Sometimes the internet can do wonderful things like providing an opportunity to acquaint myself someone else's work that so clearly resonates with my own. Thank you, Jacqueline, for contacting me and for the beautiful book!