‘-after Francisco X. Alarcon
i want a god who lives in a tattered shack by the sea
mold growing up its cedar shingles,
a god who offers thunder as applause, who knows
the heart is both a rapturous and feigning preacher,
prone to believing loud praise in the body.
i want a god who longs to be satiated by the knobby
fingers of an ugly woman, taking each one into his mouth,
a god who knows want against his gums,
a god who steps out in the morning
to forgive himself.
i want a god who knows grief, a god with a tiredness
that makes him sink low into his couch, breathless.
i want a god who lifts my feet from this earth
and whispers, you can stop
running.
Tyler Erlendson’s work has been called “raw and tender at the same time,” as well as “unflinchingly blunt, taking turns that are unexpectedly necessary.” He is the Director of the documentary film, Straight White Male, which premiered in Hollywood at Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre.(2011) While putting himself through college, Tyler worked a number of jobs that included being a truck driver, a funeral director, a bodyguard for famous musicians, a landlord, a meat cutter, and a ghost editor for PhD dissertations. All of these experiences influence his poetry and world perspective. He was encouraged to write from a young age by his father, a carpenter. Tyler earned his M.A. at San Francisco State University and his MFA at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. He currently teaches advanced critical thinking and composition at the community college level. He aspires to learn the art of non-fiction writing and fabulous cooking. Tyler lives with his wife and son on their chicken farm in Sonoma County, CA.
