The poetry club is somewhat dark. Photos of middle Asia line the walls, with small spotlights atop their frames. I pick the booth near the open-mic hosts, laying the performance fliers in a small pile on the table. Oh is this guy coming? He was great! That’s wonderful.

Enthusiasm, not long lived.

Rosalie Gancie is a collage & mail artist. She was also an editor for the online literary journal FlashPoint (www.flashpointmag.com)