D. JAMES SMITH is the recipient of an NEA fellowship in poetry. His work has appeared in the Carolina Quarterly, New Virginia Review, and other journals. His first collection of poems, Prayers for the Dead Ventriloquist, was published in 1995 by Ahsahta. Fast Company (DK), a novel for young adults, appeared in 1999. He lives in central California, where he enjoys motorcycling; small, vicious dogs; and eating dinner.

New Year's Day, Los Angeles

by D. James Smith, September 2003 (Issue 333)