the archaeology of empty

by Heller Levinson

The Archaeology of Empty

the way a panda refuses to embitter

. you never stopped asking

. sheathed to a tether the rendition bloomed

                   upon early

                             detonate

                                      tonic

sloshing threw discreet           ramdoodle tadpole socks sough your liquor you said never there albeit alibi albeit circumflex preponderance set-up purses wary-wise plot disposition thicket funk the fourfold root of sufficient reason shotgun demographics chart turning corners above board below remorse jingle hop juice belly silver screen carol crinkle insipidity bells notwithstanding solid said with marmot fist first phase fresh image more to it meaning room for expansion  ex pand a ble clearing out catcall pull together heave hot soften sunshine elaborate mood save the last dance almonds figs digesting wonder money trap hard of hearing all fed pitted for optimal results hip replacement lung capacity tell them it isn’t so play the odds pull over show proof forthcoming preview soon to expire severe exit wounds soft rebukes in the parmesan wooly in the crotch gander quilt forever is a sour foreign policy police the frenzy amber forcefully call it

nutmeg

call it possum

call it quite

chaw bit platter funk omni-appetitive flavorful compunct reliance grab

                                      in it for keeps

                                           salty

through parsings, through vestibular sin, envenoming

glare, behind the

kneel, the hollow-out, percolates

remonstrate, protest the infusion,

cull for clarity

for

almost

Photo of Heller Levinson

BIO: HELLER LEVINSON’s most recent books are QUERY CABOODLE, SHIFT GRISTLE (Black Widow Press, 2023), THE ABYSSAL RECITATIONS (Concrete Mist Press, 2024), VALVULAR ASH (BWP, 2024), QUERY CABOODLE 2 (Sulfur Editions, 2024), CROSSFALL chapbook (Sandy Press, 2024), with CROSSFALL (BWP, 2025) & FROM A REDUCED PHILANTHROPY (The Bodily Press, 2025). Anticipated for a spring 2026 release is FLUTTERRUDDERBUTTERFLY (BWP). His book, LURE (Black Widow Press, 2022), won the “2022 Big Other Poetry Book Award.”