16
2River www.2River.org 7474 Drexel DR • University City • MO • 63130 • USA 2RV 19.2 (Winter 2015) new poems by Randolph Bridgeman, Sarah de Sousa, Mia Eriksson Joy Laden, Estanislao Lopez, Heidi McKinley Rajiv Mohabir, Charles Raerty, Mark Schoenknecht Sahara Smith, David Wright The 2R iver V iew 19.2 (Winter 2015) Chain © 2014 by Drew Campbell

Rajiv Mohabir, Charles Ra · Rajiv Mohabir is the winner of the 2014 Intro Prize by Four Way Books for The Taxidermist’s Cut (Spring 2016). He received his MFA from Queens College

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2Riv

erw

ww

.2Ri

ver.

org

7474

Dre

xel D

R •

Uni

vers

ity

City

• M

O •

631

30 •

USA

2RV

19.2

(W

inte

r 20

15)

new

poe

ms b

y Ra

ndol

ph B

ridge

man

, Sar

ah d

e So

usa,

Mia

Erik

sson

Joy

Lade

n, E

stan

islao

Lop

ez, H

eidi

McK

inle

yRa

jiv M

ohab

ir, C

harle

s Raff

ert

y, M

ark

Scho

enkn

echt

Saha

ra S

mith

, Dav

id W

right

The

2Riv

er V

iew

19.2

(W

inte

r 20

15)

Chain

© 2

014

by D

rew

Cam

pbel

l

The

2Riv

er V

iew

, 19.

2 (W

inte

r 201

5)

Abou

t the

Ar

st

Drew

Cam

pbel

l is a

mem

ber o

f the

f/32

Pho

togr

aphy

Clu

b in

As

hevi

lle, N

orth

Car

olin

a. H

e ha

s exh

ibite

d hi

s pho

togr

aphy

at

vario

us v

enue

s, in

clud

ing

the

Blac

k M

ount

ain

Cent

er fo

r the

Art

s an

d th

e Sw

ain

Coun

ty C

ente

r for

the

Arts

. Cam

pbel

l tea

ches

ph

otog

raph

y cl

asse

s at t

he Jo

hn C

. Cam

pbel

l Fol

k Sc

hool

.

Abou

t 2Ri

ver

Sinc

e 19

96, 2

Rive

r has

bee

n a

site

of p

oetr

y an

d ar

t, qu

arte

rly

publ

ishin

g Th

e 2R

iver

Vie

w a

nd o

ccas

iona

lly p

ublis

hing

in

divi

dual

aut

hors

in th

e 2R

iver

Cha

pboo

k Se

ries.

2Ri

ver i

s also

th

e ho

me

of M

uddy

Ban

k, th

e 2R

iver

blo

g.

Rich

ard

Long

2Riv

erIS

SN 1

536-

2086

ww

w.2

Rive

r.org

ww

w.m

uddy

bank

.org

The

2Riv

er V

iew

19.2

(W

inte

r 20

15)

ISSN

153

6-20

86

The

2Riv

er V

iew

, 19.

2 (W

inte

r 201

5)

Conten

ts

Heid

i McK

inle

y N

ew Y

ear’s

Driv

e

Rand

olph

Brid

gem

anre

adin

g to

an

empt

y ro

omst

epfa

ther

s

Sara

h de

Sou

saTh

e G

arde

n of

For

go e

n Le

ers

Juni

n de

los A

ndes

Mia

Erik

sson

A m

ini-c

row

n of

four

love

sonn

ets

Joy

Lade

nRa

dio

Hai

My

Fath

er’s

Pain

Heid

i McK

inle

y is

a st

uden

t of j

ourn

alism

at t

he U

nive

rsity

of

Iow

a. H

er w

ork

has b

een

feat

ured

in 1

947,

Kaw

smou

th, a

nd

Type

hous

e Li

tera

ry M

agaz

ine.

Rajiv

Moh

abir

is th

e w

inne

r of t

he 2

014

Intr

o Pr

ize b

y Fo

ur W

ay

Book

s for

The

Taxi

derm

ist’s

Cut (

Sprin

g 20

16).

He re

ceiv

ed h

is M

FA fr

om Q

ueen

s Col

lege

and

is c

urre

ntly

pur

suin

g hi

s PhD

fr

om th

e U

nive

rsity

of H

awai

`i.

Char

les R

aff e

rty’

s ten

th b

ook

of p

oetr

y is

The

Unl

eash

able

Dog

. Hi

s poe

ms h

ave

appe

ared

in T

he N

ew Y

orke

r, O

prah

Mag

azin

e,

Prai

rie S

choo

ner,

and

The

Sout

hern

Rev

iew

. Raff

ert

y cu

rren

tly

dire

cts t

he M

FA p

rogr

am a

t Alb

ertu

s Mag

nus C

olle

ge.

Mar

k Sc

hoen

knec

ht h

olds

a B

A in

Eng

lish

from

Mic

higa

n St

ate

Uni

vers

ity a

nd a

n M

A in

Eng

lish

from

the

Uni

vers

ity o

f M

assa

chus

e e

s—Bo

ston

. Sch

oenk

nech

t has

wor

ked

a va

riety

of

part

- m

e, h

ourly

jobs

whi

le fo

cusin

g on

wri

ng

poet

ry.

Saha

ra S

mith

is si

nger

/son

gwrit

e/po

et fr

om A

us n

, Tex

as. I

n 20

10, T

-Bon

e Bu

rne

rec

orde

d he

r deb

ut a

lbum

, Myt

h of

the

Hear

t, w

hich

Na

ona

l Pub

lic R

adio

cal

led

“a h

ybrid

of f

olk,

Am

eric

ana,

cou

ntry

, and

blu

egra

ss.”

In N

ovem

ber 2

010,

Sm

ith

appe

ared

on

The

Dave

Le

erm

an S

how

. Sm

ith is

now

wor

king

on

her

seco

nd a

lbum

und

er th

e na

me

Girl

Pilo

t.

Sara

h de

Sou

sa li

ves i

n Se

asca

pe, C

alifo

rnia

. She

is a

dan

cer,

educ

a o

nal c

ouns

elor

, ste

p-m

othe

r, w

ife, a

nd p

erpe

tual

stud

ent

of p

hilo

soph

y, li

tera

ture

, psy

chol

ogy,

and

med

ita o

n.

Davi

d W

right

has

poe

ms f

orth

com

ing

in N

assa

u Re

view

, So

u’w

este

r, an

d Ta

hom

a Li

tera

ry R

evie

w, a

mon

g ot

hers

. His

mos

t rec

ent c

olle

c o

n of

poe

try

is Th

e Sm

all B

ooks

of B

ach

(Wip

f & S

tock

, 201

4).

The

2Riv

er V

iew

, 19.

2 (W

inte

r 201

5)

Contrib

utors

Rand

olph

Brid

gem

an h

as fo

ur c

olle

c o

ns o

f poe

ms:

Sou

th

of E

very

whe

re, M

echa

nic

on D

uty,

The

Odd

Test

amen

t, an

d,

fort

hcom

ing

in 2

015,

The

Poe

t Lau

reat

e of

Cra

cker

Tow

n.

Mia

Erik

sson

is c

urre

ntly

pur

suin

g he

r PhD

in G

ende

r Stu

dies

at

the

Uni

vers

ity o

f Got

henb

urg,

Sw

eden

. She

writ

es p

oetr

y in

bot

h En

glish

and

Sw

edish

. The

poe

m h

ere

in 2

RV is

her

fi rs

t po

etry

pub

lica

on.

Joy

Ladi

n ha

s pub

lishe

d six

boo

ks o

f poe

try,

incl

udin

g La

mbd

a Li

tera

ry A

war

d fi n

alist

Tra

nsm

igra

on;

her

seve

nth,

Im

pers

ona

on,

is d

ue o

ut in

sprin

g 20

15. H

er m

emoi

r, Th

roug

h th

e Do

or o

f Life

: A Je

wish

Jour

ney

Betw

een

Gen

ers,

was

a 2

012

Na

ona

l Jew

ish B

ook

Awar

d fi n

alist

. Lad

in h

olds

the

Go

esm

an

Chai

r in

Engl

ish a

t Yes

hiva

Uni

vers

ity.

Josh

ua E

stan

islao

Lop

ez h

as h

ad p

oem

s app

ear i

n M

erid

ian,

M

id-A

mer

ican

Rev

iew

, New

Ohi

o Re

view

, and

else

whe

re.

Esta

nisla

o Lo

pez

Digi

tal G

rave

yard

sTh

e Ve

ry W

ide

Spac

e Be

twee

n Ce

rtai

n e

s

Rajiv

Moh

abir

Blow

hole

Mus

eum

Char

les R

aff e

rty

The

Man

with

a L

ight

at 3

a.m

.Th

e M

an w

ith a

Pia

no S

trap

ped

to h

is Ba

ck

Mar

k Sc

hoen

knec

htDr

eam

Poe

m: O

f Driv

ing

a Re

d Co

nver

ble

with

the

Que

en

of th

e U

nder

wor

ld a

s My

Pass

enge

rIn

side

the

Hoop

hous

e

Saha

ra S

mith

Wod

enSt

ars a

nd S

ighi

ng

Davi

d W

right

The

Shal

low

Way

The

Youn

g Bi

olog

ist o

n He

r Hon

eym

oon

Pond

ers

th

e O

rigin

of L

ife

The

2Riv

er V

iew

, 19.

2 (W

inte

r 201

5)Da

vid

Wrig

ht

The

Youn

g Bi

olog

ist o

n H

er H

oney

moo

nPo

nder

s the

Orig

ins o

f Life

It st

arts

, eith

er w

ay, o

n a

beac

h,w

ith a

fi nc

h in

one

han

dan

d a

pair

of sh

oes i

n th

e ot

her,

a pa

ir of

ver

y fi n

e sh

oes h

ooke

d, e

ach

over

a d

elic

ate fi n

ger.

Whi

te sa

ndse

les i

n th

e pa

le, c

reas

ed le

athe

r.

And

the fi n

ch, h

is te

ll-al

l bea

k,pe

cks t

he g

rade

d-cr

ease

of y

our p

alm

whe

re y

ou h

ave

gath

ered

her l

ike

a so

uven

ir of

you

r wee

ksin

the

islan

ds. S

he m

ay c

alm

dow

n, h

er b

row

n fe

athe

rs

war

min

g un

der y

our t

ouch

.Yo

u w

ill h

ave

to st

and

here

with

one

ano

ther

—yo

u an

d yo

ur b

ird se

ated

in th

e cu

p of

you

r han

d.W

ho b

roug

ht y

ou to

geth

er?

To k

now,

you

will

hav

e to

spea

kce

rtai

n w

ords

, mak

e de

man

ds,

and

then

lear

n to

teth

erev

eryo

ne y

ou lo

ve to

the

eart

h. S

leek

mal

e fi n

ches

dem

and

you

free

thei

r lov

er.

You

thro

w y

our s

hoes

and

the

bird

s fl e

e,ye

t you

raise

you

r le

han

dan

d op

en it

. One

fl u

er

and

this

sign

you

desir

e to

kee

pbu

t rel

ease

, bec

omes

evi

denc

e,no

t spe

cim

en, n

ot ta

med

, not

a p

raye

r.

Davi

d W

right

The

Shal

low

Way

We

have

take

n th

e ch

ildre

nfa

rthe

r out

to th

e sa

ndba

rso

we

can

all s

tand

thig

h an

d w

aist

and

bel

ly d

eep

beyo

nd th

e br

eak

of th

e gr

eat

lake

’s w

aves

bef

ore

they

se le

them

selv

es o

n th

e be

ach.

Your

frie

nd’s

elde

rly m

othe

rsid

estr

okes

aro

und

us.

Her w

hite

swim

cap

bre

aks

the

gree

n pl

ane

of w

aves

aga

in

and

agai

n. S

he w

ears

blu

e go

ggle

san

d he

r spe

ckle

d sk

in li

ke a

cre

atur

ebo

rn to

the

fam

iliar

wat

ers.

Out

her

e I s

houl

d lo

ve th

e de

epbu

t do

not.

I wan

t ins

tead

to ta

keth

e ch

ildre

n ba

ck to

war

m sa

nd.

But w

e’ve

dri

ed

and

lost

the

shal

low

way

in.

You

mak

e it,

som

ehow

. My

son

is w

atch

ing

the

gran

dmot

her

roll

her h

ead

to b

reat

he,

as sh

e cu

ts h

er w

ay a

cros

sth

e w

aves

, alw

ays r

ollin

gaw

ay fr

om th

e in

com

ing

surf.

I can

not b

reat

he. I

hol

d hi

m g

hter

than

he

likes

. I d

o no

tte

ll hi

m m

y fe

et c

anno

t rea

chth

e bo

om

. He

says

he

is no

tsc

ared

, tha

t he

sees

the

shor

e.

Heid

i K. M

cKin

ley

New

Yea

r’s D

rive

New

est y

ear

Oh,

you

let g

o—

The

snow

, you

say,

will

end

.Th

e da

ys le

ngth

en a

min

ute

at a

m

e bu

t I c

an’t

tell.

I go

on, b

link

up, d

o th

e di

shes

, som

e m

es la

undr

y.M

y da

ys g

o fi n

e, li

ke a

thre

e le

gged

ani

mal

.I w

ould

rath

er n

ot sa

y th

is:O

h yo

u, le

t go.

The

high

way

whi

te a

s any

thin

gAn

d yo

u re

adin

g ou

t lou

d th

e en

re d

rive.

Mor

e th

an o

nce

I will

wish

I w

ere

hom

e.Sn

ow ri

bbon

s acr

oss t

he ro

ad in

win

d.M

ore

than

onc

e I w

ill w

is h I

wer

e al

one.

Rand

olph

Brid

gem

an

read

ing

to a

n em

pty

room

wha

t is i

t tha

t mak

es m

e w

ant

to d

rive

seve

nty-fi v

e m

iles o

ne w

ayin

a c

ar w

ith b

aldi

ng

res

and

an o

dom

eter

on

its se

cond

go

arou

ndto

read

poe

ms t

o a

man

ea

ng

a br

an m

uffi n

and

read

ing

a ne

wsp

aper

pi

ckin

g ra

isins

out

of h

is te

eth

and

mum

blin

g un

der h

is br

eath

th

at if

he

wan

ted

to h

ear g

odda

m p

oetr

y he

wou

ld sq

ueez

e hi

s gay

sons

hea

d un

l he

spou

ted

som

e of

that

shit

off

and

ther

e’s t

he c

oupl

e in

the

corn

er

suck

ing

face

so h

ard

i cou

ld b

e re

adin

ga

suic

ide

note

on

why

i pi

cked

this

coff e

e sh

op to

end

it a

ll an

d ta

ke th

em

with

me

whe

n i b

low

a sm

okin

g ho

lerig

ht h

ere

in th

e m

iddl

e of

this

strip

mal

l fo

rty

feet

dee

p an

d th

en th

ere’

s the

two

old

ladi

esev

ery

poet

ry re

adin

g ha

s the

m th

ey c

ome

toge

ther

and

sit r

ight

up

fron

t wai

ng

to h

ear s

omet

hing

serio

us

som

ethi

ng th

at ta

kes t

hem

bac

k to

the

days

of s

unda

y w

alks

a e

r chu

rch

of m

oonl

ight

driv

esan

d lo

vers

lane

s

but w

hen

my fi r

st p

oem

“bi

g di

ck w

illy”

has t

hem

cra

ckin

g a

smile

i’m th

inki

ng th

ey k

new

th

is gu

y to

o

Saha

ra S

mith

Star

s and

Sig

hing

Here

it is

: The

secr

et o

f the

so s

kin,

the

quie

t fl e

sh y

ou si

nned

aga

inst

an

d w

ore

so c

lean

ly th

in.

Here

it is

: the

bird

ben

eath

the

crac

ked

moo

n’s

ragg

ed ri

sing;

the

rose

s in

the

limp

room

dam

ply

dyin

g.

Ther

e ar

e tw

o m

o o

ns:

star

s and

sig

hing

.

We

are

the

brui

sed

mira

cle,

need

ling

the

chap

ped

and

cha

ele

d W

ord,

imm

acul

atel

y m

iscon

stru

ed a

nd o

vert

ongu

edan

d ba

dly

hear

d.

We

ra le

in th

e m

e th

at w

e w

ill b

endl

essly

bec

ome,

and

shuffl

e o

n th

e lo

ose

feet

of a

bor

row

ed b

a le

dru

m.

I am

my

na v

e la

nd. I

am

the

soil

and

the

scar

s;Th

e st

ains

of c

off e

e cu

ps a

nd c

ircui

ts

of th

e st

ars.

and

hist

ory.

..an

d hi

stor

y...

And

hist

ory,

the

spid

ered

orb

itof

a b

one

bene

ath

an a

cre

of w

et g

rass

.

Saha

ra S

mith

Wod

en

The

paga

n go

d of

poe

try

and

mad

ness

saw

his

love

r sta

ndin

g by

the

win

dow

.

He tr

ied

to te

ll he

rth

at h

er b

ody

was

a b

ank

of sn

owso

mew

here

out

side

Milw

auke

ew

here

the

trac

ks o

f som

e sm

all a

nim

al w

ere

bare

ly v

isibl

eby

moo

nlig

ht.

Her e

yes w

ere

euca

lypt

us tr

ees

that

ra le

din

the

rain

.

But h

e sa

id n

othi

ngso

he

wou

ldn’

t get

it w

rong

.

Our

wor

ds a

re p

aper

cup

sw

e di

p in

to th

e oc

ean

of o

ur lo

ngin

g.

To th

is da

y, I

cann

ot c

ompr

ehen

dth

e pr

oper

way

to te

ll yo

uth

at I

miss

you

but i

t’s so

met

hing

like

a p

ale

hand

in a

dar

k ro

omop

enin

g.

Rand

olph

Brid

gem

an step

fathers

jose

ph m

ust h

ave

had

the

toug

hest

dadd

y iss

ues n

ot th

at e

very

kid

does

n’t t

hink

thei

r fat

her i

s God

but w

hat i

f he

actu

ally

is

and

whe

n th

e ho

ly g

host

s be

en in

you

r wom

an

how

do

you

stac

k up

to th

at

mos

t men

wou

ld h

ave

dum

ped

her

and

no o

ne w

ould

hav

e bl

amed

him

or m

y fa

ther

who

cam

e ho

me

from

the

war

to a

pre

gnan

t wife

but l

ike

jose

ph h

e w

ante

d to

do th

e rig

ht th

ing

too

and

s ll

it a

te a

way

at h

imal

way

s fee

ling

like

the

odd

man

out

ev

ery

argu

men

t my

pare

nts

ever

had

end

ed w

ith m

y fa

ther

soh

yea

h w

ell y

ou fu

cked

th

e ne

xt d

oor n

eigh

bor

and

i won

der i

f it a

te a

way

at

jose

ph th

at w

ay to

o w

ith th

e fa

ther

the

son

the

holy

gho

stan

d m

arry

too

he m

ust h

ave

felt

like

a fi

h w

heel

like

mos

t of u

s ste

pfat

hers

like

jose

ph w

ith h

is ho

nora

ble

men

on

and

the

rest

of u

s with

no

men

on

at a

ll

Sara

h de

Sou

sa

The

Gar

den

of F

orgo

en

Le e

rs

It is

no c

hanc

e en

coun

ter

mee

ng

you

here

in th

e ga

rden

of fo

rgo

en

le e

rs

Spac

ious

ness

, Ogr

acio

us la

ndsc

ape

in w

hich

to b

uild

this

grav

eyar

d

Moo

nrise

ove

r the

Moj

ave

A va

lley

full

of m

onum

ents

In th

e be

ginn

ing

we

spok

elik

e cr

eatu

res

of th

e de

sert

, sca

veng

ers

afra

idev

en o

f our

selv

es

and

now

to fi

ndyo

u he

reis

to sp

eak

the

lang

uage

of s

owin

g

with

whi

ch w

e bu

ryse

eds,

hun

ger

in a

pla

ceth

ey c

anno

t gro

w

Mar

k Sc

hoen

knec

ht

Insi

de th

e H

ooph

ouse

Red-

win

ged

blac

kbird

sFa

lling

from

the

sky

over

Bee

be, A

rkan

sas.

No

one

coul

d ex

plai

n w

hat c

ause

d it.

Imag

ine

Shov

elin

g bi

rd c

arca

sses

From

the

gard

en,

Pilin

g th

emBy

the

doze

nIn

to a

buc

ket

Or w

heel

barr

ow.

I con

nue

my

wor

k,Ri

ppin

g ou

t the

sec

ons

of c

hard

The

beet

les h

ave

alre

ady

eate

n,Tr

ying

to sa

ve w

hat g

ood

harv

est i

s le

,W

hile

rain

drop

s bre

ak a

gain

st th

e pl

as c

can

opy,

Soun

ding

like

the

win

gsO

f a th

ousa

nd b

irds t

akin

g fl i

ght.

I hol

d on

e of

the

plan

ts u

p to

the

tarp

ove

rhea

d,In

spec

ng

it, c

aref

ul,

As th

e ta

ers

of a

cru

shed

win

g.

Mar

k Sc

hoen

knec

ht

Drea

m P

oem

: Of D

rivin

g a

Red

Conv

er b

le w

ith th

e Q

ueen

of t

he U

nder

wor

ld a

s My

Pass

enge

r

Whe

n I a

sk h

er to

tell

me

abou

t Hel

l,Sh

e sh

akes

bac

k he

r Be

e D

avis-

styl

e ha

irAn

d de

scrib

es th

e ci

rcle

Rese

rved

for t

hose

who

nev

er le

arne

d to

dan

ce,

How

they

’re h

ange

d fr

om n

oose

sTo

sway

and

kic

k fo

r ete

rnity

.

This

is he

r way

of s

ayin

g th

at th

e di

sco

is a

mus

t ton

ight

,Th

at sh

e di

dn’t

com

e al

l the

way

to C

leve

land

just

to si

t aro

und

ac

ng

dead

.

But t

hen

the

rain

s beg

in,

The fl e

sh o

f her

hum

an fo

rmW

ashi

ng a

way

Un

l al

l tha

t’s le

is a

skel

eton

With

an

ash-

blon

de w

igAn

d se

quin

ed g

own.

I dro

p her

off a

t the

aban

done

d sub

way

sta

on o

n Wes

t 25t

h Str

eet,

And s

he be

gins

her d

esce

nt do

wn t

he cr

umbl

ing s

tairs

tow

ard h

ome.

O D

eath

, my

quee

n. S

ister

.Ho

w lo

ng d

id I

igno

re y

our c

alls?

I lea

ve m

y w

indo

w o

pen

toni

ght,

List

enin

gFo

r the

scre

ams o

f re

sFa

r off

on In

ters

tate

90.

Sara

h de

Sou

sa

Juni

n de

los A

ndes

Last

nig

ht I

drea

med

of th

at w

indl

ess d

ayat

La

Boca

The

empt

y ho

use

s ll

ther

em

eani

ng a

life

was

pos

sible

I am

hap

py in

this

drea

m:

Wha

t per

fect

luck

that

the

elem

ents

shou

ldco

nspi

reto

brin

g a

win

dles

s day

a fi s

herm

an a

nd h

is lo

veto

geth

er.

Like

a m

antr

a, I

am c

han

ng:

Alum

ine,

Con

fl uen

cia,

Col

on C

ura

As if

to p

rese

rve

a m

yth

As if

to c

all b

ack

a gh

ost

As if

to w

itnes

s you

r joy

aga

inw

ater

like

gla

ss,

refl e

c o

n of

snow

, vol

cano

line

heav

y w

ith th

e w

eigh

tof

a fi

sh th

at d

oes n

ot k

now

it w

ill li

ve, y

ou w

ill le

t it g

o

Mia

Erik

sson

A m

ini-c

row

n of

four

love

sonn

ets

Winter

This

is w

here

it a

ll be

gan

with

you

r han

d ha

lf w

ay u

p m

y—an

d th

e sa

ndI h

ave

a kn

ot in

my

thig

h, in

grai

ned

with

a g

rain

.I w

as b

eing

lite

ral a

bout

pic

king

you

r bra

inw

ith a

spoo

n. Y

ou’re

full

of sc

abs b

ut w

hen

you’

re n

aked

you

shin

e lik

e a

ballp

oint

, an

andr

oid

and

you

tast

e lik

e a

bit t

ongu

e, a

mou

thfu

lof

blo

od, w

hen

I thi

nk o

f you

I th

ink

ofbe

ing

rippe

d ap

art.

I thi

nk th

e sn

ow is

eve

ryth

ing,

the

way

it m

uffl e

s the

soun

d of

car

s,tu

rns t

he w

orld

into

an

orch

estr

a w

hen

mel

ng,

stab

s eve

ry sh

amef

ul e

ye w

ith li

ght a

s brig

ht a

s sta

rs.

I wal

ked

will

ingl

y ah

ead

it w

as su

mm

er th

en.

Sprin

g It

was

sum

mer

then

you

had

been

drin

king

since

you

r bru

te fi

rst t

hrew

a fa

ther

ly fi

st a

t you

r sist

erEv

eryb

ody’

s got

a c

hild

hood

trau

ma

Shit

linge

rs n

ot li

ke b

ruise

s but

like

brok

en a

rter

ies o

r car

diac

dys

rhyt

hmia

The

coke

mak

es y

ou o

lder

see

if I

care

I al

way

s lik

ed y

our r

agge

d te

mpe

ran

d th

at y

ou w

ere

gonn

a di

e yo

ung

I s ll

go

to To

ront

oju

st to

feel

you

r eye

son

my

shou

lder

I ha

ve p

ut it

dow

nas

som

ethi

ng in

signifi c

ant

Char

les R

aff e

rty

The

Man

With

a P

iano

Str

appe

d to

His

Bac

k Th

e m

an c

an’t

mak

e it

up th

e st

airs

any

mor

e,so

he

liste

ns to

his

fam

ily m

ovin

gab

ove

him

in th

e ol

d ro

u n

esof

bat

hing

and

slee

p. H

e w

ishes

one

of t

hem

wou

ld c

ome

back

dow

n, p

ull u

p a

chai

r, an

d pl

ay h

ima

song

of l

ove

or a

song

of h

ope,

thou

gh h

e ha

sn’t

been

tune

d in

yea

rs. H

is w

ifeoff

ere

d to

take

som

e le

sson

sor

to b

uy h

im a

pia

no h

e co

uld

play

in a

ddi

on to

the

one

he c

arrie

d. H

e sa

idhe

’d ra

ther

she

just

pol

ish th

e on

e he

had

.He

cou

ld se

e it

was

full

of sm

udge

sfr

om th

e ch

ildre

n’s j

elly

-san

dwic

h ha

nds

whe

n he

cau

ght h

imse

lf in

the

bay

win

dow,

at e

veni

ng, a

s the

bird

s die

d do

wn

all o

ver

thei

r par

t of t

own.

It n

eede

d to

hav

e on

e de

cent

cho

rdba

nged

into

the

keys

so h

e co

uld

feel

itre

verb

era

ng

thro

ugh

him

like

a p

urpo

se.

Whe

n it

was

m

e fo

r bed

, he

coul

dn’t

take

the

pian

o off

, an

d hi

s wife

com

plai

ned

he w

as b

ruisi

ng h

er a

s the

y sle

ptor

mad

e lo

ve. E

ach

mor

ning

, he

claw

edhi

s way

off

the

ma

res

s the

y ke

pton

the

livin

g ro

om fl

oor.

The

stra

ps d

ug in

to h

is sh

ould

ers

and

his g

ut. T

here

was

abs

olut

ely

no g

ive,

and

thou

gh h

e so

me

mes

trie

d,he

cou

ldn’

t get

the

blad

e un

der t

he fa

t ban

dsof

leat

her.

Ironi

cally

, he

has n

ever

lear

ned

to p

lay,

but

of c

ours

e he

cou

ldn’

t rea

ch th

e ke

ys a

nyw

ay.

The

only

mus

ic h

e’ll

mak

e is

whe

n he

falls

ove

r dea

d.He

kee

ps te

lling

him

self

he h

as th

isto

look

forw

ard

to, t

he c

hord

of 8

8 fi n

gers

.

Char

les R

aff e

rty

The

Man

With

a L

ight

on

at 3

a.m

. Th

e m

oths

that

had

bee

n ge

ng

in a

ll w

eek

have

foun

d th

e on

ly la

mp

le o

n in

the

livin

g ro

om.

They

stru

t and

fl u

er a

cros

s its

fabr

ic.

They

loop

and

dip

abo

ve th

e lig

htth

ey lo

ve so

muc

h. O

nly

the

dark

ness

can

save

them

, but

he

know

sth

ey w

ill n

ot fl

y to

it. N

ow th

at h

e ha

sre

paire

d th

e sc

reen

s, n

owth

at th

e br

eeze

can

fi lte

r ove

rth

e nu

de b

ody

of h

is w

ifeon

the

Augu

st sh

eets

, now

that

the

com

mo

on

of th

eir l

andi

ngin

the

bed

won

’t w

aken

them

, he

can

crus

h th

em w

ith a

ss

uew

ithou

t fea

r of t

heir

retu

rn. T

he li

ving

room

isbr

uise

d w

ith th

e po

wde

r of t

heir

win

gs,

the

smud

ge o

f the

ir gu

tsas

he

pinc

hes t

hem

out

aga

inst

the

wal

l.He

leav

es th

eir m

arks

for t

he w

oman

to fi

nd. H

e w

ants

her

to k

now

that

he

love

s her

this

muc

h, th

at h

e ki

lled

thes

e m

oths

for h

er—

even

the

ones

that

wer

e bi

g en

ough

to a

lmos

t get

aw

ay, e

ven

the

ones

she

wou

ld h

ave

wan

ted

him

to sp

are.

Fal

l

Som

ethi

ng in

signifi c

ant

like

a sh

ould

er c

over

ed o

nly

with

thin

whi

te c

o o

non

an

unbe

arab

ly h

ot d

ayor

som

ethi

ng li

ke a

sign

/ or

a sa

ying

/ if

i can

tst

arve

d fo

r a e

n o

nso

me

thin

gno

one

ever

did

/ as

if /

it m

a e

red.

I lov

ed y

ou th

e m

ost.

I kne

w y

ouw

ere

a da

mag

ed m

othe

rfuc

ker.

I hel

d yo

ur w

hole

bod

y do

wn

and

it w

as li

ght a

s a fe

athe

r.Yo

u w

ere

like

a ba

by d

eer i

n th

e sn

ow.

Sum

mer

you

wer

e lik

e a

baby

dee

rin

the

snow

, my

darli

ng e

uphe

mism

my

Doct

or E

nem

y G

od a

nd L

ucife

rI w

onde

r abo

ut th

ose

who

do

not w

ant t

o ki

ll th

emse

lves

are

thei

r vei

ns le

ss p

reva

lent

thei

r kni

ves l

ess d

ecad

ent o

r the

irco

nvic

ons

not

wor

th fi

gh n

g fo

rI c

an’t

rem

embe

r now

if yo

u sm

iled

or n

ot if

Ich

oked

or n

ot if

itra

ined

all

day

/ as i

t alw

ays d

idba

ck th

en /

I bur

y m

y fe

et in

the

sand

this

is w

here

it a

ll be

gan.

Mia

Erik

sson

Joy

Ladi

n

Radi

o Ha

i

Repo

rter

des

crib

esea

rthq

uake

-bro

ken

girl

of fi

vein

a b

roke

n de

ck c

hair,

dyi

ng.

“Her

lips

,” he

says

, “ke

ep sh

akin

g.”

It isn

’t ne

ws,

but

he

can’

t sto

p w

atch

ing

the

girl’

s lip

s qua

ke li

ke fa

ult-l

ine.

I wan

t him

to p

este

rth

e go

vern

men

t and

God

her d

ying

repr

esen

ts,

to p

in a

nd fi

x th

e qu

akin

g w

orld

with

mor

ality

, tra

gedy

,bl

ame.

Bla

me

anyo

ne, a

nyth

ing,

I te

ll hi

m,

but c

hang

e th

e su

bjec

tbe

fore

her

lips

stop

shak

ing.

Rajiv

Moh

abir

Mus

eum

Som

eone

ope

ned

the

grav

eyar

d’s

door

. A b

reez

e sc

rimsh

aw—

scra

tche

s the

hal

ls. Gr

ey. A

sh.

Ceta

cean

ghos

ts so

lder

ed in

to sn

uff m

ulls

with

silv

er li

ning

. O

n yo

ur b

ones

I dra

w m

est

abbi

ng yo

ur lu

ngs u

n l

you

spit fi r

e. Sh

ould

I ha

ngyo

ur m

ilk-s

pit f

ram

e fr

om ra

ers

for f

athe

rs to

poi

nt o

utm

ascu

linity

to a

dven

ture

-eye

d so

ns,

nake

d un

der d

eath

etch

ings

, s rr

ed to

plu

nder

by th

e le

af-ra

le o

f a d

esec

rate

d te

mpl

e? It’

s m

eto

staff

the

scar

scor

e, to

cas

t new

god

sof

bon

e

Rajiv

Moh

abir

Blow

hole

I tra

ce y

our

pass

ing

on a

skin

mar

k, th

atsp

ot y

ou le

, a

mem

ento

, go

d-tr

ance

of tu

rned

up

surf.

Your

salt,

a v

espe

r whi

sper

edth

roug

h so

oted

nos

trils

,a

soot

h sa

id: F

uck.

Cunt

. Yet

fecu

nd. A

nd c

ome.

Ano

int

my

hollo

w w

ith ju

st th

e p

.A

cros

s in

coco

nut o

il

on

you

r fi n

gers

and

spre

adon

my

lips t

hat c

rack

like

whi

ps o

rw

isps o

f voi

ce in

scre

am as

I ris

k dr

owni

ng.

My

head

a h

ydra

,pr

epar

e to

em

pty

over

and

to b

e ov

erru

n.

Joy

Ladi

n

My

Fath

er’s

Pain

It’s

me

to ta

lk a

bout

his

pain

,th

e pa

in o

f a p

oint

mov

ing

at ri

ght a

ngle

s to

itsel

fac

quiri

ng le

ngth

and

bre

adth

and

dep

th

as so

me

poin

ts d

o,m

y fa

ther

exp

lain

ed—

I was

seve

n—dr

awin

g on

e, tw

o, th

ree,

four

dim

ensio

nson

a sc

rap

of y

ello

w p

aper

.

My

fath

er w

as in

pai

n. T

he p

oint

of h

is pa

inha

d be

com

e a

plan

eas

it m

oved

thro

ugh

him

at ri

ght a

ngle

s to

itsel

f. I s

at in

his

lap,

his p

ain

mov

ing

thro

ugh

me

at ri

ght a

ngle

s,ac

quiri

ng a

four

th d

imen

sion.

“Tim

e” h

e sa

id, d

raw

ing

angl

es a

nd a

rrow

s

on h

is sc

rap

of y

ello

w p

aper

.I d

idn’

t nee

d hi

s exp

lana

on.

Tim

e w

as in

side

me,

a d

imen

sion

of p

ain

mov

ing

at ri

ght a

ngle

s to

itsel

f

from

gen

era

on

to g

ener

a o

n.

Esta

nisla

o Lo

pez

Digi

tal G

rave

yard

s

In th

e w

alls,

web

traffi

c h

ums b

inar

ily w

ith g

rief

and

our m

etad

ata

whi

sper

s to

us n

o w

ords

of c

onso

la o

n.So

me

sleep

less

nig

hts,

I op

en E

’s pr

ofi le

and

let h

is lig

ht,

like

an infi n

ite p

roce

ssio

n, si

nk in

to th

e sh

eets

. O

ur m

etad

ata

mak

es e

xhib

i on

s of o

ur re

gret

s:

01:0

2:13

disp

u n

g m

o v

es fo

r his

suic

ide;

00:

15:5

4 sp

ent

sayi

ng n

othi

ng a

t all.

In th

e la

st p

ress

con

fere

nce,

as o

ur n

a o

n fi n

ally

falls

, it w

ill b

e sa

id th

at o

ur b

igge

st fa

ilure

s w

ere

thos

e pr

ivat

e on

es. T

he a

unt c

augh

t ste

alin

g gi

s

at th

e w

eddi

ng. T

he fr

iend

no

one

coul

d sa

ve.

Our

met

adat

a is

unab

le to

be

embo

died

. Our

bod

ies

self-

imm

olat

e to

mak

e a

poin

t. N

ot a

poi

nt a

s in

the

line

betw

een

two.

Not

a li

ne a

s in

of th

ough

t. Th

e in

anim

ate

rean

imat

es h

is bo

dy. M

y fi n

gers

gr

aze

his i

nfor

ma

on.

No

one

is re

ady

to fo

rgiv

e.

Esta

nisla

o Lo

pez

The

Very

Wid

e Sp

ace

Betw

een

Cert

ain

es

God

has

bui

lt a

mac

hine

from

my

own

bone

s.

His m

o v

es are

his o

wn

busin

ess.

The

soul

? An

ele

ctro

mag

ne c

sign

al p

ulsin

g fr

om st

ar c

lust

er to

star

clu

ster

, cra

ving

reci

proc

a o

n.

A gh

ost s

hip

saili

ng

alon

g gh

ost w

ater

. A m

achi

ne

desig

ned

to b

rush

aw

ay m

y fe

ars

like

spid

ers f

rom

a c

hild

’s ha

ir.

Som

e sa

y ther

e is

a pr

ecise

scie

nce

to it

all,

whi

ch te

rrifi

es m

e.