Hearty congratulations to Ben Mirov, winner of the 2009 DIAGRAM/New Michigan Press chapbook contest. Read the press release–including exultant blurbs from Dobby Gibson and the great Elaine Equi–over here (pdf). That page also has a poem from the book, and an order form–you’ll want the latter after reading the former. Also, here’s Ben’s blog. Also^2, you can find even more Mirov in the premiere issue of Maggy, a sweet-ass new poetry journal that will be getting its own post later this week. (You’ll also find him in the next Agriculture Reader.) Anyway, congrats again to Ben, and here’s another poem from I is to Vorticism, which I was super-delighted to receive in the mail the other day, and have been happily working my way through:

Wind-Up Birds

Dear Mr. Murakami:

I am like that guy in your novel

who goes down in the well

and gets trapped there until

he finds a secret passage and escapes

or maybe someone lowers a ladder?

I don’t remember where he goes next

but I’ve wanted to tell you this

since I read your book in San Francisco

after a horrible breakup and discovered

a pale blue light behind my eyes

I had never noticed before.

I thought you’d written your book about me

without knowing it, of course.

I had the urge to write you a letter

explaining this but I didn’t want

to freak you out. I just wanted

to say thanks for being in my poem

and for the sense of wellness

that pervades my life these days.

P.S. I almost forgot to ask!

What should I do next?