CREATIVE MARKUP LANGUAGE

 

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Say at the corner of m street and m avenue. A yield 

 

yield

sign painted

                                                      sign painted over

in yellow first so it blended in to look like a blank, then tagged over

in black CML (or LVL), in other words no longer NOT A THROUGH

 

a through

street

 

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STREET. Now it’s CML or some such, which could

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could

be read

                                                  be read as nine hun-

dred fifty, or — alternately more recently — Creative Markup Language. 

Suits a sign. At the very end of the north part of m street BEWARE OF

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beware of

dog

 

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DOG up against the 101, or CI. The sour grey air 

 

air

acts tough

                                                 acts tough and shouts

rain but no clouds in the sky. A swing set spots astroturf. A presbyterian

beer can, then something soft to punt, but just don’t look down, keep

 

down keep 

walking

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Walking. A block on it’s a glance at the nearest thing to 

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to

the sea

                                                          the sea other 

than the sea. Too far away say to judge the upholstery, or make 

the plot seem more real with clearer marks, or too far on to assign

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to assign

names

 

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Names to shapes or traits to drivers. Here see an 

 

an

old book

                                                  old book shelf

in a hall with three paperbacks, an old road guide, and a bible. 

Near here see a man run his dog off leash, scold him when he 

 

when he

sniffs

 

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Sniffs out a pizza box, and sneeze NAME in a 

 

a

caustic way

                                             caustic way that 

cinches then twists me, and both ankles collapse. We’re in the 

purview of a cul de sac. Here see a cat at a stray coffee cup off a

 

off a

curb

 

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Curb cut, all the while a new palm hangs low and 

 

and

saws shadows

                                                 saws shadows

into earth

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