Russell Edson passed on April 29, 2014. I first read his work in a collection of poets featured on NPR, "Word of Mouth: Poems Featured on NPR's All Things Considered." His surrealistic prose poetic work has been taken up by folks like Lydia Davis and Daniel Grandbois, but nothing compares to Edson himself. This is my small tribute.

Last weekend I read all of Russell Edson’s work to my ape eating pancakes on the lawn. And I could not figure out why all the babies in carriages carried test tubes full of sheep, little farmyard rattles. And the ape said, between mouthfuls of pancake, it is because of science. And because of science I planted a tree in my living room. The leaves are a trouble in fall.

Since last weekend I have not been able to write a word that Edson did not already pen. The ape told me he died. The ape does not read the papers, choosing instead to shit his pancakes on them. I said he was wrong anyway and apes should not lie, that’s science. I sat down to write this account. Then I signed the poem, Russell Edson.