Constant anachronism.

For the days to go faster but for the years to be slower.

To write in the third moment. After first giving myself up and then the recovery and then…

A commitment to speak inside the world that is outside of me.

For borders to disappear.

To accept that it is impossible to think about nothing.

An origin story that is, upon reflection, a palimpsest.

To be more acquainted with images and sounds than people.

Too much justice.

For climatic heritage to be taken as seriously as genetic heritage.

To be out of time as much as possible.

Two endings: one a Biblical allegory; one that fades away.

Thomas J. Erickson is an attorney in Milwaukee where he is a member of the Hartford Avenue Poets. His most recent poetry project was co-editing along with Ed Werstein The Songs of Summer, an anthology of baseball poems (Water's Edge Press, 2025).