We're
delighted to have an excerpt from one of his books, and if you
wish to find more to read by the legendary Peter Meinke,
or to purchase his collectable books, scroll to the links at
the bottom of this page.
PETER MEINKE
AMERICAN POET
Liquid
Paper
By
Peter Meinke
Smooth as a snail, this little
parson
pardons our sins. Touch the brush tip
lightly and "abracadabra!" a clean slate.
We
know those who blot their brains
by sniffing it, which shows
it erases more than ink
and with imagination anything
can be misapplied . . . In the army,
our top sergeant drank aftershave, squeezing
my Old Spice to the last slow drop.
It
worked like Liquid Paper in his head
until
he'd glide across the streets of Heidelberg
hunting for the house in Boise, Idaho,
where he was born . . . If I were God
I'd authorize Celestial Liquid Paper
every seven years to whiten our mistakes:
we should be sorry and live with what we've done
but seven years is long enough and all of us
deserve
a visit now and then
to the house where we were born
before everything got written so far wrong.
(From
LIQUID PAPER: NEW & SELECTED POEMS,
U. of Pittsburgh Press, 1991)
© 1991 copyright Peter Meinke
Reprinted with permission from the author.
::
For more information about Peter
Meinke (winner of the Flannery O' Connor Short Story
Award), his poetry, and his exceptional short stories, visit
these sites.
::Eckerd
College
::University
of Pittsburgh Press
::
St.
Petersburg Times
Don't
miss any events at the Storycove! 
Subscribe to our e-newsletter for advance notification,
insider tips, and great fiction events! The Storycove is a safe
haven for fast fiction, micro fiction, whimsical and witty stories
written in a flash.
If
you prefer your words on paper, get the print edition of WordSmitten
Quarterly Journal, click here to subscribe
and get the inside scoop.
Welcome to
WordSmitten's
Storycove
