Kurt Lipschutz (klipschutz) has been recognized by writers as diverse as Sharon Doubiago, Barry Hannah, Bill Knott, Antler, Robert Sward, and Carl Rakosi. Born in Indio, CA, he left high school early to travel the U.S. by thumb, and between 1976 and 1979 lived in Laurel Canyon, Echo Park, and Hollywood. After a brief stint at Naropa, he moved to San Francisco, took Gallup polls door-to-door, and put down roots. This week’s poems are excerpted from A Visit to the Ranch (October 2015, Last Word Press, Olympia, WA). Earlier books include This Drawn & Quartered Moon, Twilight of the Male Ego, and The Erection of Scaffolding for the Re-Painting of Heaven by the Lowest Bidder. He songwrites with Chuck Prophet, and with Jeremy Gaulke edits Four by Two.