Monday, March 3, 2008

SHELBY BELIEVES KIDS SHOULD BE TAUGHT SEX ED

I would like to watch Dr. Phil's enormous head
speaking on TV on mute forever.
Dr. Phil's head composed
with small colored panels situated around it
that let me know of coming electrical storms.
I want to rent an apartment in the chest
of the large jolly black man
Dr. Phil just invited to stand on stage
beside him, both wearing the same red tie.
I would like to order the jolly black man's book
with his jolly fat photo on the cover
but not pay for it.
This room feels very wide
despite how all the lights are off.
I felt a great deal of urgency
when I began typing the first line
about watching Dr. Phil
but now I feel mostly dumb.
I am going to lay down.
I have Googled the phrase 'lay vs lie'
more than 20 times I am sure
and I still can't remember the difference.
Today my aging father sapped the battery of three cars
trying to jump off the dead battery
of one car he rarely drives.

4 comments:

brandon said...

i liked this and lie is always for inanimate objects, unless someone has placed another person on the ground, then that human would 'lie there'



i think this is right

now i feel nervous about posting this comment

DB said...

i thought lie was present tense. like i am going to lie down.

i was going to lay down.

i don't know. i don't think anyone knows.

i really like the part about renting the apartment in dude's chest.

Stephen Daniel Lewis said...

i liked how you said you felt urgency with the first line but then felt dumb, that was nice

i just have some page bookmarked for lay and lie.

but i'm not sure if that page is right

BLAKE BUTLER said...

from the Department of Agricultural Communication:

"Lay" is a verb meaning to put or place something somewhere.It takes a direct object. Its principal parts are "lay," "laid," "laid," and "laying."

Examples: Every day I lay the book on the table. Yesterday I laid the book on the table. I have laid the book on the table many times.I am laying the book on the table right now.

In all these examples, the verb is a form of the word "lay," and the direct object is "book."

"Lie" is, in this context, a verb meaning to recline. It does not take an object. Its principal parts are "lie," "lay," "lain," and "lying."