Jan Sand in New York JAN SAND, poet and illustrator from New York, is a regular contributor to Poetry Life & Times and the newsgroup alt.arts.poetry.comments. A great deal of his work is about animals, or science fiction. Recently Jan was published by Kedco Studios Artist Profile Press, on their latest CD ROM e-book, "A Way With Words (Poetry Real and Surreal), which also includes complete books by Dale Houstman, Sara L. Russell and Keith Gabriel Hendricks. Jan's illustrated book on the CD is called "Wild Figments And Odd Conjectures", which is also sold separately, in a limited-edition "single" CD. To see an illustrated article about Jan's poems, visit the November '98 issue of Poetry Life & Times, and scroll down past the Editor's Letter. He also has his own poetry pages on Charlotte's Web at Artvilla.

FIRST SNOW © Jan Sand October lays its snows In a temporary way Like children in an attic Donning adult clothes in play, Trying on maturity For an hour or a day. But soon the snows are gone, The grass beneath still green, And Winter waits to grow a bit To get serious and mean. LIGHT © Jan Sand So strange is light, so fugitive, So quick and evanescent. It has no form - it’s sometimes warm. It flees the incandescent. The stuff seems immaterial Like thoughts and laughs and smells. Its origin, sidereal, In huge atomic hells. But this phantom intruder Is the magic wand That penetrates and perpetrates The odd atomic bond. It shakes things up, throws the dice, Contrives wild creations. Invents dinosaurs and mice In prestidigitations That form, reform, initiates Strange innovations Making you and me, and propagates Bedbugs and carnations. IN THE STREAM © Jan Sand Life is a gathering, A focus. We are a swirl, an eddy, A place of quiet construction To a plan. Sticks, leaves, even small pebbles Spin in our private circle. We can collect only What comes our way. When the whirlpool ceases to whirl The collection pauses, drops Into the static pattern of our circle. And then moves off. The stream takes the twigs Our leaves, our pebbles Downstream To other spinning scenarios. THE THOUGHT © Jan Sand It is difficult To capture a thought. When the quiet night Seduces its approach. It annoys. Its mosquito hum Prompts a slap With rough words. Then revelation of the mistake Leaving only Beautiful wings. Broken. UNTRANCED © Jan Sand On very rare occasion The spell shatters. Walking wood in autumn, The eyes have slipped the net, The ears hear secret sounds, Fragrances sail Chill autumn air - Faint wood smokes, Moist odors of grass, pungent earth. Browns, greens, whites, yellows, reds. Translucent lemon tinted leaves Splay their fingers against the Sun To dramatize vivid blue sky. Momentarily, I am awake.