In a House that is not There (2008)

Unhinged the door swings as though on air
But there is no sign of the house

A bird with white wings
has carried it away

One goes in and out
but never arrives

A bell at the pavilion
rings the guests to dinner

Everyone is dressed in white

The doors were always open
For those in need

Often there was singing
As they emerged from the trees
A white heron flew over the lake

It is better not to applaud
It is better to keep the silence

Like the rings on the surface of the lake
Circling back to where you began

Like a white bird
In a house that is not there

Seven Principles of My Spirit Stick

.... that there are as many gods as there are people who imagine them

... that all imagined gods are real.

... that those who keep their god in chains become prisoners of their own lives, walking through the world untouching and untouched

... that if you give your god its freedom it will grow in power and (some not all) of its power will be yours

... that the gods care nothing about good and evil

... that they only know what you teach them

... that imagined gods cannot save you from death, but if you ask, they may give you the power to save them from death.

Jacob Russell lives in South Philly with his Spirt Staff where he grows tomatoes and herbs in the little strip of a garden in front of his apartment. His work has been performed by InterAct Theatre and appeared in Criiphoria 2, Conversational Magazine (when it was Poetry Quarterly!), BlazeVox, Scythe, Salmagundi, dcomP Mag, Pindeldeyboz, Battered Suitcase, Clockwise Cat and other literary venues. He is currently working to complete a second novel and seeking a publisher for a manuscript of poetry. He manages the literary blog: Jacob Russell’s Barking Dog.