JAMES HOUSTON ARTS

  • LENDING LIBRARY

    If you were blindfoldedAnd led silentlyInto a lending libraryWould there beAny sense of Doubt Among the sundry myriadSenses that would igniteIn such circumstanceKnowing exactlyWhere you now were Lest you be anosmicWould not olfactory giftsBe heightened Raging In factWith all that print glueBoard and binding threadPerhaps a hint a whispOf old leatherRubbed to a shineBy eager…

    JAMES HOUSTON

  • BEFORE THIS

    I’ve been brokenBefore thisWandering the seas in meWashed up uponMy own shoresSand-time and saltIn my eyes, in my earsIn open woundsIn anything I forgotTo closeI’ll not be broken again I’ve been ignored a time or twoBefore thisA haint in the hallwayShying from entrancesSpoken sentencesMaking appearanceThe cut of my formWaiting, alwaysWaitingFor an invitationI’ll not be veiled…

    JAMES HOUSTON

  • FLASHLIGHT

    TodayIn these early momentsI am hours older Than those attainedIn the lifespanOf my father In addition toMalevolent sinusesAnd male-pattern baldnessI search afield By way ofFlashlight and feelAmongst the paperclipsAnd elastic bands For any errantTrait or attributeCharacter or gift Carried forwardInto lengths of timeHe never knew © jameshoustonarts 2026

    JAMES HOUSTON

  • DEATH and TAXONOMIES

    There is thatWhat one can nail downCogs and suchWhat one can meshMitres, joints and adherencesFirmly terra firmaLife in a viceBums in seatsDone deals, no failsWhat one can takeConfidentlyTo the bank In truth, thoughThe worldIs a fleeting thing © jameshoustonarts 2026

    JAMES HOUSTON

  • 04/14/14

    ThreeIn this diner-cum-barNot including meBecause I never doEven when it’s my storyAnd, it’s alwaysMy story OneMy wife, my palSipping awayAt one of the twoFreebie beersListening to songsHeard on repeat TwoAt the otherwiseEmpty barBacks to the stageDraining their pintsMolson’s CanadianIn separate silences NoneOf this reallyAwful memory mattersMuch anymoreApril 14, 2014The settled, finalPublic performance NullAnd distinctly voidedSlocan…

    JAMES HOUSTON

  • YESTERDAYS (Not Even) NEWS

    Yesterday, I stoppedPosting social mediaToday, I am not © jameshoustonarts 2026 I am certainly not alone in eschewing the rank files of social media. Though I never did twitter, I carved out a piece of my space and frog-leapt that platform to book face and “gram” instantaneously. When all that innocence of luminiferous ether began,…

    JAMES HOUSTON

  • SELF-INFLICTED

    If you took meI would be ungratefulBalking at each turnFinding insipid reasonsTo lag behind Had you assignedThe requirementsI should certainly findTime for otherwiseOf and on my own Not to be consignedAs a contrary soulMerely withinBut not withoutSelf-inflicted instruction © jameshoustonarts 2026

    JAMES HOUSTON