NaPoMo – April 8, “Grace”

a re-imagining of a poem from last April. Grace for Alexine Not divine, not rare, perhaps unexpected, not unearned—our brightest courage shone back at us. She learned to trust by trusting this horse, hurtling together over fences or walls or any obstacles. When Rosie died, when she found her own knees could not lift her [...]

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NaPoMo April 6 – “Love Psalm”

Love Psalm in the form of quassams, flung over our prison walls, slingshots of sugar and fertilizer, rockets whistling our tune, carrying the words of our song:           We will come back, we will come back           We have not forgotten you, Mother, Land           to whom we know we belong And when they touch you, having burrowed [...]

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Poetry Wednesday – “The Kiss” by Anne Sexton

Poetry Wednesday – “The Kiss” by Anne Sexton from the anthology intimate kisses: The Poetry of Sexual Pleasure, edited by Wendy Maltz

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Shez – every night I will pour out

from The Dance of the Lunatic, page 12 כָּל לַיְלָה אֲנְי אַבְּיעַ לָךְ אֶת אַהֲבָתִי אַתְּ תַּבְטִיחִי לִי שֶׁלֹּא תַּעַזְבִינִי לנֶצַח אֲנִי אֲהַרְהֵר מְעַט עַל מַשְׁמָעוּת הַדְּבָרִים וּבֵינְתַיִם אַחֲלִיק אֶת לֶחְיִי בִּכָרִית בִּטְנֵךְ הָרַכָּה Shez, The Dance of the Lunatic, page 12 (untitled: every night I will pour out) translated by Elliott batTzedek Every night [...]

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Dahlia Ravikovitch – “Pride”

from Hovering at a Low Altitude: The Collected Poems of Dahlia Ravikovitch, translated by Chana Bloch and Chana Kronfeld. I’ve been reading Ravikovitch because she is essential to reading other contemporary Israeli women poets, like, I guess, knowing Adrienne Rich is here. Everyone knows her work, everyone refers to it in some way, or has [...]

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April 29 – Asah

I call my Beloved Asah, meaning: a cool spring day, the sun flowing warm on my belly new grass dew washing winter from my back, writhing and wriggling, flinging my fine four legs free as falling whirlybirds, while the world waits, breath held, for me to rise and run

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April 27 – In summary

In summary She was one I once loved. ¾ of lyric poetry comes next. Author’s confession – this was, at first, a several page long pathetic whining love-lost poem-like object. The point of lyric poetry being to describe the emotional flash, and not the narrative, I cut it down to only the last two lines, [...]

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April 21 – When you took me down

When you took me down you placed 1 pomegranate seed on my tongue sweet sweet blood          I begged then for the 5 still in hand When you offered me 6 more I offered you my breasts         you crushed seeds in your teeth licked until my nipples dripped red Thus I came to owe you 1 year [...]

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April 12 – a poem for Alexine

Grace Neither divine nor rare, perhaps unexpected, rarely unearned, Grace is our brightest courage shone back at us. She learned to trust by trusting the horse hurtling both of them over fences and walls. And when Rosie died, she found, in her grief, she was not alone. Rosie’s friends, people who came to the pasture, [...]

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April 11 – found poem, NYTimes follow-up story

Megan Waterman, 22; Melissa Barthelemy, 24; Maureen Brainard-Barnes, 25; and Amber Lynn Costello, 27 vanished drew little or no notice—prospect of a serial killer four more bodies—that changed Shannan Gilbert, 24, a prostitute but much more aspiring actress oldest daughter of Mari Gilbert Mari Gilbert said police failed to take her seriously until Long Island’s [...]

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