John Southworth - "Human Cry". I believe in the primacy of cups. Every liquid has its proper cup: wine has its goblet, soup has its bowl, saltwater has its sea. If one cup is not sufficient, we make another. We do not just pour wine onto the table. At home, I keep a cabinet full of cups, one for every substance, and I host many visitors. We toast and clink and sip, drinking from the proper cups, never spilling. But I do not have enough cups for my sadness. My sadness is too vast, or my cups are too small. Some mornings I find that tears cover the tabletop. [buy]

Brandy - "Silent Night". Before the winter came, Randy Baxter was the best of the wranglers. He threw his lasso like the rapids throw foam. He wrangled steer, buffalo, wolves. He sat on his horse and the rope whistled in the air. Then the sky clouded over. The sun set. The tumbleweed settled. It has been winter since January and the river is frozen. When Randy throws his brittle lasso, it is feeble. I think the herds have gone east. [website / she's coming back]

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