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'Bardo Thule'

Tim Pierce
Ashes

by Dave Caserio

My brother, expecting, thinking, what?
That the wind would waft our father's ashes
Gently out of his hand, convey them
As though a squall of butterflies, as
White bits of the soul, as wafer
Upon the tongue, to dissolveIn holiness and birdsong
Until whatever flutter of spirit
Reconstitutes into desire
For the love that releases him
So it might gather such atoms
Again for another try.

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Dave Caserio

Dave Caserio, a former recipient of a Fellowship in Poetry Award from the New York State Foundation of the Arts, has worked in outreach programs such as the Dodge Poets in the Schools, Humanities Montana Speakers Bureau and the Billings YMCA/Writer’s Voice.  He has been an invited poet to the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, The Seattle Poetry Festival, The High Plains Book Festival and The Montana Festival of the Book.  His work has appeared in the anthologies, Children Remember Their Fathers and Poems Across The Big Sky.  Dave has twice produced, A Feast For The Hunger Moon: An Evening of Poetry, Music, Dance and Art, as part of the Billings Venture Theatre’s Independent Artist Series, as well as WordSongs and Arc of the Communal shows of poetry and music.  His multi-voiced, collaborative poem, "I Conjure A Stubborn Faith," was featured at the Billings Fringe Festival.  His CD of poetry and music, "Wisdom For A Dance In The Street," is available from Gazoobi Tales. '"Bardo Thule" was published in Poems Across the Big Sky II.

Chérie Newman is a former arts and humanities producer and on-air host for Montana Public Radio, and a freelance writer. She founded and previously hosted a weekly literary program, The Write Question, which continues to air on several public radio stations; it is also available online at PRX.org and MTPR.org.
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