Hai-poo found a publisher?

It's true! Two of my poems - including "Things That Pooped on Me in India" - made it into the latest issue of Rattlesnake Press' quarterly publication WTF. Who knew there was an audience for hai-poo?

If you're in the Sacramento area, check out the WTF release party at Luna's Cafe on Thursday, May 21 at 8 p.m. It's part of the weekly Poetry Unplugged series. Many poets from WTF will be reading, as well as featured performers Monica Storrs and Todd Moore. Admission is free and so is WTF. Score!

Favorite cocktail typos

There are quite a few bars on the beaches in Goa and each has its own handwritten, chalkboard menu. In a country with 22 official languages, on a beach that caters to tourists from around the world, the spelling is delightfully creative. Thus, I present my favorite cocktail typos:

Tom Calling

No need to drunk dial. Tom beat you to it.

Whiskey Shoots

The most dangerous drink on the beach.

Bloody Merry

I googled "Bloody Mary" in search of a photo of a tomato-based cocktail for this post. I do not recommend doing so, unless there's something about Mary (that makes you want to see her dead).

Pine Colada

Mmmm....needly...

Feel free to post your own from overseas trips or from your local bartender with bad grammar!

Hai-poo for you

Last night at Luna's Cafe, I "treated" the open-mic audience to a reading of this poem, the first piece I wrote after six months in India. I really wanted to capture the amazing beauty of my adventures, but my mind had other plans. Someday, I'll be a great travel writer. Until then, I give you:

Things that pooped on me in India: a haiku quartet

Rats in the rafters
Droppings descend like snowflakes
Praise mosquito nets!

A wild beach dog
Pees on my water bottle
Tourists point and laugh

Cow smears manure
On my arm in Gokarna
Maybe that’s sacred?

Bird poop in my hair
Japanese think that’s good luck
Indians do not

I thought I might have invented a new genre with "hai-poo", but it seems stand-up comedian Francois Fly beat me to it. There really is nothing new under the sun.