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WHOSE WOODS THESE ARE The฀alderman฀leaflets: a฀REGISTERED฀SEX฀OFFENDER is฀living฀in฀the฀duplex฀on฀the฀corner, buttering฀toast฀(inoffensively?) while฀the฀old฀Shakespearian฀wheel฀of฀fortune falls฀off฀a฀passing฀Camry. “You’re฀out,”฀says฀Pat฀Sajak on฀TV.฀Health฀and฀Safety, two฀tarted-up฀twins, roll฀into฀a฀ditch฀full฀of฀phlox. The฀phlox฀resists฀abstraction. It฀doesn’t฀give฀a฀flying฀F about฀the฀state฀of฀the฀union. Undo฀the฀duplex฀and฀it’s฀simplex: a฀sore฀point฀beyond฀good฀and฀evil, a฀LUV฀U฀license฀plate฀hammered฀out by฀felons.฀The฀fall฀trees฀leaflet฀leaves, their฀red฀veins฀psychedelic with฀rot฀and฀wild฀weather. I฀see฀his฀house฀from฀here: our฀grave฀Offender.฀His฀roof shelters฀him฀like฀a฀mother, but฀the฀storms฀are฀neuromuscular— dark฀and฀deep— the฀storms฀are฀in฀our฀bodies฀as฀we฀sleep. 11 ...

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