Lakeland College

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The Houdini Monologues

[Love Poems]

I've been reading over your shoulder,
as you compose poems to me in lemon juice,
so to speak.

Stunning—how the acid has over the years
left the stationary in shreds
so that very first verse neither of us could understand
had no meaning until now, knowing the grief it contained
is gone, that time is a wine dry enough to absorb sorrow,
that it is derived of the most solemn of sour grape.

The following is re-printed from "The Houdini Monologues," by Karl Elder, Lakeland College's award-winning Fessler Professor of Creative Writing and poet in residence. The collection of 13 works was published in 2010 in volumes 43 and 44 of "Seems," a chapbook that is a collaboration of Elder, the editor, and Lakeland students. This issue includes an audio CD of Elder reading "The Houdini Monologues".

Listen to Elder read "Vocation."

Brittney Sandberg, a current Lakeland student, served as managing editor of "Seems," and Jessica Lillie '10 was assistant editor. David Hillstrom '87 wrote an introduction for Elder's work. The CD was produced by James Shafstall '05, and Kevin Fitchett '09 plays cello on the recording. All the Lakeland students involved are writing majors. Funding for the project came from a Lakeland College Faculty-Student Collaboration Grant for Research and/or Performance.

Copies of "The Houdini Monologues" are $10 and can be ordered by contacting Elder at elderk@lakeland.edu or (920) 565-1276.

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