Our Catalog

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ErosIon
ErosIon, by Nancy A. Henry 		Language as a Second Language
Language as a Second Language, by Ted Bookey
Be Careful What You Wish For
Be Careful What You Wish For, by Alice N. Persons 		Driftland
Driftland, by Michael Macklin
Whispers, Cries, & Tantrums
Whispers, Cries, & Tantrums, by Jay C. Davis 		Never say Never
Never say Never, by Alice N. Persons
Sex, Death, and Baseball
Sex, Death, and Baseball, by David Moreau 		Humming to Snails
Humming to Snails, by Ellen M. Taylor
The Flame and the Fiction
The Flame and the Fiction, by Darcy Shargo 		Europe on $5 a Day
Europe on $5 a Day, by Nancy A. Henry
Laundry and Stories
Laundry and Stories, by Robin Merrill 		A Sense of Place: Collected Maine Poems
A Sense of Place: Collected Maine Poems, by Bay River Press
Walking Track
Walking Track, by Jay Franzel 		Ways of Looking
Ways of Looking, by Edward J. Rielly
Things As They Are
Things As They Are, by Eva Miodownik Oppenheim 		A Moxie and a Moon Pie: The Best of Moon Pie Press
A Moxie and a Moon Pie: The Best of Moon Pie Press, by Nancy A. Henry and Alice N. Persons, Editors
Traveling Through History
Traveling Through History, by Patrick Hicks 		Unidentified Flying Odes
Unidentified Flying Odes, by Dennis Camire
Innumerable Machines in My Mind: Found Poetry in the Papers of Thomas A. Edison
Innumerable Machines in My Mind: Found Poetry in the Papers of Thomas A. Edison, by Dr. Blaine McCormick 		Evidence of Light
Evidence of Light, by Marita O'Neill
Rags of Prayer
Rags of Prayer, by Kevin Sweeney 		The Stream
The Stream, by Don Moyer
Child is Working to Capacity
Child is Working to Capacity, by Tom Delmore 		The Desire Line
The Desire Line, by Michelle Lewis
Tuscany Light
Tuscany Light, by M. Kelly Lombardi 		The Hard Way
The Hard Way, by Jay C. Davis
Angel of the Heavenly Tailgate
Angel of the Heavenly Tailgate, by Annie Farnsworth 		Full Moon Rising: the Best of Moon Pie Press, Volume II
Full Moon Rising: the Best of Moon Pie Press, Volume II, by Alice N. Persons and Nancy A. Henry, Editors
Poems of Maine in the Nineteen Thirties and Forties
Poems of Maine in the Nineteen Thirties and Forties, by Brenda Shaw 		Sostenuto
Sostenuto, by Karen Douglass
Essays in All Directions
Essays in All Directions, by Robert M. Chute 		You Can Still Go To Hell...and Other Truths About Being a Helping Professional
You Can Still Go To Hell...and Other Truths About Being a Helping Professional, by David Moreau
Singing With the Dead
Singing With the Dead, by Ted Thomas, Jr. 		Socks
Socks, by Jay C. Davis
Early Late Bloom
Early Late Bloom, by Jim Mello 		Old Whitman Loved Baseball and Other Baseball Poems
Old Whitman Loved Baseball and Other Baseball Poems, by Edward J. Rielly
He Gives Me Flowers
He Gives Me Flowers, by Gaylord Day Weston 		The Church of St. Materiana
The Church of St. Materiana, by Anne Britting Olesen
Lostalgia
Lostalgia, by Ted Bookey 		Life Class
Life Class, by Ruth Bookey
To the Promised Land Grocery
To the Promised Land Grocery, by Bruce Spang 		Drowning: A Poetic Memoir
Drowning: A Poetic Memoir, by Claire Hersom
How Many Cars Have We Been Married?
How Many Cars Have We Been Married?, by Ted Bookey, editor 		Safe Harbor: Port Veritas Poetry Anthology, Volume I
Safe Harbor: Port Veritas Poetry Anthology, Volume I, by Edited by Alice Persons & Nathan Amadon
Agreeable Friends, Contemporary Animal Poetry
Agreeable Friends, Contemporary Animal Poetry, by Alice Persons, Editor 		The Ur-Word
The Ur-Word, by Jim Glenn Thatcher
Ordinary Time
Ordinary Time, by Kevin Sweeney 		I Have Walked Through Many Lives
I Have Walked Through Many Lives, by Young Voices - Scarborough
A House of Bottles
A House of Bottles, by Robin Merrill 		Floating
Floating, by Ellen M. Taylor
Vivaldi for Breakfast
Vivaldi for Breakfast, by John-Michael Albert 		BLACK BOAT BLACK WATER BLACK SAND
BLACK BOAT BLACK WATER BLACK SAND, by Dave Morrison
The Lawns of Lobstermen
The Lawns of Lobstermen, by Douglas "Woody" Woodsum 		With a W/Hole in One
With a W/Hole in One, by Ted Bookey
What on Earth
What on Earth, by Marcia F. Brown 		Blues in the Night
Blues in the Night, by Herb R. Coursen
Through the Loop of Time
Through the Loop of Time, by Eva Miodownik Oppenheim 		SARX
SARX, by Nancy A. Henry
ALMOST A REMEMBRANCE - Shorter Poems by Jack McCarthy
ALMOST A REMEMBRANCE - Shorter Poems by Jack McCarthy, by Jack McCarthy 		Thank Your Lucky Stars
Thank Your Lucky Stars, by Alice N. Persons
To Sadie at 18 Months and other poems
To Sadie at 18 Months and other poems, by Edward J. Rielly 		Faulty Wiring
Faulty Wiring, by Bob MacLaughlin
Heaven Jumping Woman
Heaven Jumping Woman, by Pam Burr Smith 		Tell them that you saw me but you didn't see me saw
Tell them that you saw me but you didn't see me saw, by Tom Delmore
The Bird Catcher
The Bird Catcher, by John-Michael Albert 		The Common Law
The Common Law, by James McKenna
Marengo Street
Marengo Street, by Anna Bat-Chai Wrobel 		PASSION AND PRIDE: Poets in Support of Equality
PASSION AND PRIDE: Poets in Support of Equality, by Bruce Spang
HOME and Other Places
HOME and Other Places, by Wil Gibson 		Sun Shining on Snow: Poetry from the Senior College at the University of Maine at Augusta
Sun Shining on Snow: Poetry from the Senior College at the University of Maine at Augusta, by Ted Bookey
My First Beatrice
My First Beatrice, by David Stankiewicz 		Rifles, Rumors, Gin And Prayer
Rifles, Rumors, Gin And Prayer, by Jim Donnelly
Observed From a Skin Boat
Observed From a Skin Boat, by John Holt Willey 		Back East
Back East, by Michele Leavitt
The Widow From Lake Bled
The Widow From Lake Bled, by Kirby Wright 		Burning Chairs
Burning Chairs, by John P. McVeigh
Boy at the Screen Door
Boy at the Screen Door, by Bruce Spang 		JESUS WAS A FEMINIST and Other Poems
JESUS WAS A FEMINIST and Other Poems, by Robin Merrill
When We Invented Water
When We Invented Water, by Marcia F. Brown 		Boulders, Birch and Wood Smoke: A Maine Melody
Boulders, Birch and Wood Smoke: A Maine Melody, by Stephen A. Cowperthwaite
Nothing Is Real
Nothing Is Real, by Stanley Jordan Keach, Jr. 		All Four Seasons
All Four Seasons, by Jim Mello
Feasting on Air
Feasting on Air, by Eva Miodownik Oppenheim 		Stable
Stable, by David R. Surette
Compass Rose
Compass Rose, by Ellen M. Taylor 		THE WILDEST PEAL: Contemporary Animal Poetry II
THE WILDEST PEAL: Contemporary Animal Poetry II, by Alice Persons, Editor
Not Just Anybody
Not Just Anybody, by Bruce Spang 		The Left Side of My Life
The Left Side of My Life , by Dana Robbins
Fancy Meeting You Here
Fancy Meeting You Here, by Alice N. Persons 		Same Bird
Same Bird, by David McCann
Museum
Museum, by Daniel Duff Plunkett 		Imminent Tribulations
Imminent Tribulations, by Kevin Sweeney
Radost, My Red
Radost, My Red, by Jeri Theriault 		T'ai Chi of Leaves
T'ai Chi of Leaves, by Elizabeth Potter
Saving Nails
Saving Nails, by Thomas R. Moore 		At Bunker Cove
At Bunker Cove, by Ralph Stevens
I Still Feel the Swirl
I Still Feel the Swirl, by Ruth Bookey 		Dreamscape
Dreamscape, by Claire Hersom
That Mischievous Moon
That Mischievous Moon, by Jim Donnelly 		Sending Bette Davis to the Plumber
Sending Bette Davis to the Plumber, by Jenny Doughty
'Stitiously Speaking
'Stitiously Speaking, by Ted Bookey 		MALDEN
MALDEN, by David R. Surette
Questions You Were Too Polite to Ask
Questions You Were Too Polite to Ask, by John-Michael Albert 		LOST and FOUND
LOST and FOUND, by David McCann
The Arrangement of Things
The Arrangement of Things, by Anna Bat-Chai Wrobel 		Big Little City
Big Little City, by Mike Bove
Be There or Be Square
Be There or Be Square, by Alice N. Persons 		Red Stone Fragments
Red Stone Fragments, by Thomas R. Moore
Hummingbird
Hummingbird, by James Breslin 		All You'll Derive: A Caregiver's Journey
All You'll Derive: A Caregiver's Journey, by Bruce Spang
Nameless Roads
Nameless Roads, by Jim Brosnan 		One Day in One Town
One Day in One Town, by James McKenna
Out of Words
Out of Words, by David McCann 		In the Afternoon
In the Afternoon, by Marcia F. Brown
After the Parade
After the Parade, by Dana Robbins 		A Stranger Home
A Stranger Home, by Natalya Sukhonos
House Museum
House Museum, by Mike Bove 		Giving It Up to the Wind
Giving It Up to the Wind, by Jack Troy
More Fun Than Pretty
More Fun Than Pretty, by Tony Magistrale 		Stones
Stones, by Thomas R. Moore
Playing Solitaire
Playing Solitaire, by Edward J. Rielly 		So Far
So Far, by Gretchen Berg
Homelands
Homelands, by Ellen M. Taylor 		Frida's Boots
Frida's Boots, by Dana Robbins
Tangled
Tangled, by Antonia Lewandowski 		Tonic
Tonic, by David R. Surette
People, Places, Poems
People, Places, Poems, by David McCann 		Read To Me Some Poem
Read To Me Some Poem, by Maryli Tiemann and Alice Persons, Editors
Be Careful What You Wish For

Be Careful What You Wish For

by Alice N. Persons – copyright 2003

$10

Read a sample

Reviews for Be Careful What You Wish For

by Annie Farnsworth, publisher and editor of Animus

While some poets take the well-mapped scenic route to get from observation to truth, Persons writes as the crow flies: a straight line between those two points. Persons views the world through a keen and unsentimental lens, and manages to capture with brief turn of phrase things we've all been witness to but unable to quite pin down. The result on paper is a gutsy, honest collection that reads like a breath of fresh air.

Sample from Be Careful What You Wish For

Postcard from Mexico


After a week of rain, your card arrived,
but not the sun. I read it still soaked;
some of the writing bled. Here, towels and jeans
never quite dry, and sooty water swells the gutters.

Caught in the cold rain, the city is helpless;
drowned worms thread the sidewalks.
All night, cars hiss; I dream of you,
brown on white sand.

Out walking, feet wet, I pause
in the scent rising from a laundromat.
Where you are, white walls hold the long day's heat
and careless flowers leaven the night air.