No ideas but in things.

—William Carlos Williams

A poem should not mean
But be.

-Archibald MacLeish, "Ars Poetica"

An orange,
squeezed on the hands,
is an adequate substitute
for soap and water

"The Florida Citrus Grower's Association Responds to a Proposed Law Requiring Handwashing Facilities in the Fields"

An orange,
squeezed on the hands,
is an adequate substitute
for soap and water

"Courthouse Graffiti for Two Voices"

Jimmy C.
Greatest Car Thief Alive
Chelsea '88

Then what
are you doing
here?

"The Community College Revises its Curriculum in Response to Changing Demographics"

SPA 100 Conversational Spanish
2 Credits

The course
is especially concerned
with giving police
the ability
to express themselves
tersely
in matters of interest
to them

Espada, Martín. Alabanza: New and Selected Poems 1982-2002. New York: W. W. Norton, 2003.