This issue features a number of our old friends, and a scattering of new ones, with poems under 30 words.  As you go through it, I hope you'll marvel at the poets' abilities to conjure a great image, emotion, and/or idea in less than 30 words.  (While you're at it, you can decide which of our contributors has the coolest name.  The nominees are Kimo Pokini, Luis Cuauhtemoc Berriozabal, and Rohith Sundararaman. In retrospect, I wish I had a poem in this issue by Hosho McCreesh.)

Under 30 words.  As I edited the issue, overcome by the fatigue of putting orange behind these pieces, I dozed and dreamt that a Constitutional amendment was passed that would limit U.S. Presidential Candidates to 30- word speeches.  Debates would require answers under 30 words, and candidates who exceeded the limit would be disqualified by law.  In the dream, Hillary Clinton, when learning of the 30 word limit, went into a shrill rant, exceeded 30 words, and was hauled away by Secret Service agents.  In the weird logic of dreams, Barack Obama was also disqualified by giving a 37-word speech, which was intended as a humorous self-deprecating comment on his scoring 37 in that recent bowling game.  John McCain chanted "bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" five times, which added up to 30 words.  He would have been spared disqualification, but for his having introduced the chant with My friends..., which put him over. (You may be wondering how the election turned out, with all 3 candidates disqualified, but I woke up before the plot was resolved. I vaguely recall an image of Al Gore showing at the Democratic convention in his underwear.  I'm not sure what that was all about.)

Gore Underwear Dream Image 2008 by Dale