JUKE
![Juke Logo (1).png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7dd072_2dbdce090568483eb2f781532e1831dc~mv2.png/v1/crop/x_376,y_261,w_704,h_1009/fill/w_176,h_252,al_c,q_95,enc_auto/Juke%20Logo%20(1).png)
JOINT
Strange Gathering [2]
We all need & we all loiter. Man,
I miss being on a train. The time’s different
on trains & we’re better. It’s weird
when we can tell that
we’re moving, not like on planes. Up in Maine,
all those loons. I love
a good birdcall in the morning. Herons, et cetera
& something about waking up w/ a woman
or person of indeterminate gender
standing over you w/ a cup
of coffee in a blue button-down
& nothing
else. Material things: they matter
& they don’t. The hornet, the honey,
dusk & drunk, or
not. How
are you feeling? Your buttons
look loose.
after John Berryman
Strange Gathering [8 & 9]
The weather’s fine, thanks
for asking. We don’t ask that often
enough anymore & I love your green
hair. There’s nothing to see
around here, is what they’d like you to think. But
we know about windows open &
sheets sticking to skin. Contrapposto, rococo
et cetera, YOU. Standing in the doorway &
it’s like a tornado in here. You’re about
to be blown. They call it
the high wood
& we know what that’s about
in the morning. We’re at a standstill—
too hot to get dressed & too hot
when we’re naked. Stuck
in our own crocheted
web, all strung up
& spidery.
after John Berryman
![Tyler.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/7dd072_328ac49181604cfbaab9d58419621f5c~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_138,w_750,h_750/fill/w_51,h_51,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Tyler.jpg)
Tyler Friend was grown—and still is growing—in Tennessee. Tyler is extremely uncomfortable generally, but perhaps a bit too comfortable with kudzu specifically. They are the author of Him or Her or Whatever (Alternating Current Press, 2022).