I read all of Asano over the course of a year Initially horrified at how quickly I could consume a lifetime How easily it fit amongst other things Work Novels Even Stephen King will at his end Fit in the closet of a rented room Asano filled a shelf Bookended by a magic eight ball and a large stone Later I realized it would probably be alright To be reduced to a slightly unwieldy collected poems of A stack of photographs A few pounds of ash Between these, all the rest of it Cigarette butts and coffee cups Neckties, parties Lifetimes of the same conversations Around different tables All the other less permanents -Ben Horrobin