note by Dale

On Right Hand Pointing, we have proudly presented a good amount of work by Texas poet Larry D. Thomas, including three previous digital chapbooks, The Circus, Plain Pine, and Five Lavender Minutes of an Afternoon. Larry was kind enough to send the nine tiny poems that make up this current collection. They are exceptionally spare and barren, much like the West Texas that inspires them. These poems led to an interesting collaboration. When planning this presentation of the poems, I told Larry that we needed an appropriate photo for the "cover."  He sent one by his wife, Lisa Thomas. A small version appears on the "cover" and a larger version on the next page.

This photo, Lisa tells me, is of the famous and historic Kokernot o6 Ranch in West Texas, taken from Larry and Lisa's balcony.  Much of my own visual work involves digital manipulation of found photos.  I discovered that, due to the high resolution in Lisa's photo, I could zoom in to various regions in the original photo and find some interesting detail.  The four photos that appear at the end of the sequence of the poems, and the one above, are blown-up, cropped, and processed details from Lisa's original photo.  Thanks to Larry and Lisa for a rewarding collaboration.

Dale Wisely