JACK FOSS

WRESTLING

Writing a poem is like Jacob
wrestling with god or one
of his angels. It always happens

in some sort of night, and you feel
as if you've grabbed onto almost
nothing. You're tempted to quit

and let this strange thing slip away,
but you hang on as Jacob did
until there's some sort of dawn.

In the morning Jacob no longer
knew himself. He was so changed
he took a new and permanent

name and limped away, but your
adversary never gives in. He returns
again and again to dispute your calling.

Jack recently began writing again after a long hiatus. Active in the San Francisco Poetry scene of the 1960s, he published in (now extinct) little magazines such as The San Francisco Review, The Galley Sail Review, Trobar and The Plumed Horn, and gave readings at various venues in California. Recent publications: *The Hat #4* (New York), and *Studio* (Australia) and the online zine *For Immediate Release*.