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"Kingdoms of Slow Days"

By |Posted Tuesday, July 5, 2005, at 7:31 AM ET

Click here to listen to David Tucker read this poem. There's no charge for walking to the rail fence where the ants have quit their jobs

and started a colony of good-for-nothings
who idle on their backs all day

singing show tunes.
Out here, yawns come loose

from your intentions
and go off on their own.

And the next thought
takes you like a dog in happy weather.

Nights are cool with a little wind.
Parked on either side of the street—

dusty, forgetful cars
that haven't moved in days.

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David Tucker's chapbook, Days When Nothing Happens,was published last year. His book Late for Work was 2005 Bakeless Prize winner and will be published next spring.

Clickhere to visit Robert Pinsky's Favorite Poem Project site.Please note: Because Slate's backlog of accepted poems is substantial, poetry editor Robert Pinsky will not be reading new submissions until December 2005.