My Morning Reading, Part IV? Part V? Part Whatever

I'm still short on time, short on inspiration, short on sanity -- but reading the work of authors I admire -- really admire -- always makes me feel a little more calm.

I'm not sure what it is about Paul Lisicky's work that draws me to it -- he writes prose primarily, but really lyrical prose. No, wait, strike the first part of that sentence. That's exactly why I like his work -- its lyrical quality, and its music, which I would describe as mostly quiet and unobtrusive but still strong, still there. Like, um, the current of the ocean pulls you back and forth, gently but definitely, on a calm day at the beach. Or like a lawn - I'm looking out the window at my backyard right now, lit by sunrise, and I know that if I were to walk out there in my bare feet I'd feel the ground under every curve of them, and I'd feel supported (despite the wind that's kicking up). The music of his work is like that.

And the imagery of his writing is like the work of my favorite composers (Erik Satie's one) -- spare but gorgeous, where each note does so much good work.

So here are links to Lisicky's work. The first is a piece published in La Petite Zine -- I heard him read this piece at the Southampton Writers Conference last year, and it's what made me a fan of his writing, and of him. (He's such a gracious, sweet person. And disclaimer -- I don't know him. That impression was made when he was signing the book I bought.)

The second is something more recent, just published in Mead magazine, and what I read this morning. I'm not even sure what to call this animal . . . a poem, a short story . . . I'm not sure that a label matters, and I kinda like that. It's writing, and it does the things I find interesting. It's a kind of affirmation. This morning, that's enough. Because of it I feel anchored, and better prepared to begin my day.