2R

V1

9.4

(Su

mm

er

20

15

)

2Riv

erw

ww

.2Ri

ver.

org

7474

Dre

xel D

R •

Uni

vers

ity

City

• M

O •

631

30 •

USA

The

2R

ive

r V

iew

19

.4 (

Sum

me

r 2

01

5)

new

poe

ms

by

Fang

Bu,

Ann

a E.

Chi

lds,

Mar

ia E

l ng

, Mar

cia

Hurlo

w,W

illia

m K

nuds

en, G

eorg

e M

oore

, Len

ny D

ella

Rocc

a,Ta

ylor

Ric

ke ,

Mar

y El

len

Shau

ghan

, Cor

ey S

mith

The

2Riv

er V

iew

, 19.

4 (S

umm

er 2

015)

Abou

t the

Pho

togr

aphs

The

thre

e ph

otog

raph

s of s

and

dune

s at S

ilver

Lak

e, a

long

the

east

ern

shor

e of

Lak

e M

ichi

gan,

wer

e ta

ken

by R

icha

rd L

ong

whi

le h

e w

as

ridin

g hi

s bic

ycle

self-

supp

orte

d ar

ound

the

Gre

at L

ake.

Lon

g bl

ogs

abou

t his

solo

sum

mer

bik

e to

urs a

t ric

hard

trek

s.bl

ogsp

ot.c

om.

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

indi

vidu

al

auth

ors i

n th

e 2R

iver

Cha

pboo

k Se

ries.

2Ri

ver i

s also

the

hom

e 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

ww

w.fa

cebo

ok.c

om/2

Rive

rPoe

try

twi

er.c

om/2

wee

tRiv

er

The

2R

ive

r V

iew

19

.4 (

Sum

me

r 2

01

5)

ISSN

153

6-20

86

The

2Riv

er V

iew

, 19.

4 (S

umm

er 2

015)

Conten

ts

Core

y Sm

ithQ

uant

um Im

mor

talit

y

Fang

Bu

Frid

ays

Satu

rday

s

Anna

E. C

hild

sPh

oeni

x Fr

ozen

Mar

ia E

l ng

An A

ntho

logy

of V

iole

nce

(Lev

inas

)St

ems (

a re

vela

on

of su

icid

e co

nsid

ered

)

Mar

cia

Hurlo

wDe

ath

Wish

of t

he P

hone

cia

nTh

e W

ife o

f the

Tra

velli

ng S

ales

man

won

the

Back

war

ds C

ity R

evie

w P

ress

con

test

; and

her

fi rs

t ful

l-len

gth

colle

c o

n, A

nom

ie, w

on th

e Ed

ges

Priz

e fr

om W

ordT

ech.

Will

iam

Knu

dsen

is a

writ

er a

nd m

usic

ian

from

For

t Col

lins,

Col

orad

o.

His

poe

try

has

been

pub

lishe

d in

The

Leg

enda

ry, S

parr

ow G

host

Co

llec

ve

Anth

olog

y, a

nd S

tree

tligh

t Mag

azin

e.

Geo

rge

Moo

re, a

er a

car

eer a

t Uni

vers

ity o

f Col

orad

o, li

ves

in N

ova

Sco

a. H

e is

the

auth

or o

f Chi

ldre

n’s D

raw

ings

of t

he U

nive

rse

(Sal

mon

Po

etry

201

5) a

nd T

he H

erm

its o

f Din

gle

(Fut

ureC

ycle

201

3). P

oem

s ha

ve a

ppea

red

in T

he A

tlan

c, C

olor

ado

Revi

ew, N

orth

Am

eric

an

Revi

ew, a

nd P

oetr

y.

Tayl

or R

icke

rec

eive

d hi

s M

FA in

poe

try

from

Dre

w U

nive

rsity

and

has

pl

aced

wor

k w

ith B

oxca

r Poe

try

Revi

ew, C

leav

er M

agaz

ine,

Nau

gatu

ck

Rive

r Rev

iew

, and

Xan

adu

Poet

ry R

evie

w. H

e liv

es in

Blo

omin

gton

, In

dian

a, w

here

he

spen

ds

me fi s

hing

, tea

chin

g, a

nd w

ri n

g.

Mar

y El

len

Shau

ghan

is a

na

ve

Iow

an w

ho n

ow c

alls

Wes

tern

M

assa

chus

e s

hom

e. H

er p

oetr

y ha

s ap

pear

ed in

num

erou

s jo

urna

ls

and

mag

azin

es.

Core

y Sm

ith h

olds

an

MFA

in C

rea

ve

Wri

ng

from

Wic

hita

Sta

te

Uni

vers

ity w

here

he

taug

ht E

nglis

h fo

r fou

r yea

rs. H

e cu

rren

tly te

ache

s hi

gh s

choo

l Eng

lish

in th

e sa

me

city

. He

has

prev

ious

ly p

ublis

hed

shor

t st

orie

s in

sm

all p

ress

mag

azin

es.

The

2Riv

er V

iew

, 19.

4 (S

umm

er 2

015)

Abou

t

Fang

Bu

is th

e au

thor

of S

prin

g Cl

eani

ng. S

he c

urre

ntly

live

s an

d w

orks

in

New

Yor

k Ci

ty.

Anna

E. C

hild

s liv

es in

Eas

t Ten

ness

ee, w

here

she

writ

es p

oetr

y, fi

c o

n,

and

crea

ve

nonfi

c o

n; te

ache

s co

llege

Eng

lish;

and

rais

es th

ree

child

ren.

Lenn

y D

ella

Rocc

a ha

s re

cent

wor

k in

Eve

ry D

ay P

oem

s, F

airy

Tale

Re

view

, and

Mia

mi R

ail;

and

fort

hcom

ing

in tw

o an

thol

ogie

s: T

wic

e U

pon

a Ti

me

and

Obj

ects

in th

e Re

ar V

iew

Mirr

or fr

om K

ind

of

Hur

rican

e Pr

ess.

Sle

ep Ta

lker

is fo

rthc

omin

g fr

om N

ight

Balle

t Pre

ss.

Mar

ia E

l ng

is o

rigin

ally

from

Oah

u, H

awai

i. Sh

e cu

rren

tly li

ves

in

Ista

nbul

, Tur

key,

whe

re s

he is

com

ple

ng

a BA

in A

rt H

isto

ry a

nd

Philo

soph

y. T

his

is th

e fi r

st p

ublic

a o

n of

her

wor

k.

Mar

cia

Hur

low

teac

hes

crea

ve

wri

ng,

jour

nalis

m a

nd li

ngui

s c

s at

As

bury

Uni

vers

ity. H

er m

ost r

ecen

t cha

pboo

k, G

reen

Man

in S

ubur

bia,

Will

iam

Knu

dsen

Hym

n #5

Hym

n #2

3

Geo

rge

Moo

reTh

e Bo

ok M

arke

tTh

e W

ord

Lenn

y De

llaRo

cca

Don’

t Blin

kSp

ice

Tayl

or R

icke

Ba

ckw

oods

Poem

in A

polo

gy

Mar

y El

len

Shau

ghan

Drea

ms

Rede

mp

on

The

2Riv

er V

iew

, 19.

4 (S

umm

er 2

015)

Mar

y El

len

Shau

ghan

Rede

mp

on

My

fam

ily g

athe

rs a

roun

d th

e w

hite

-line

ned

tabl

eth

is da

y in

late

Nov

embe

r, ga

ther

edto

giv

e th

anks

for t

he g

ood

in o

ur li

ves.

I sen

se th

at so

me

feel

gru

dgin

gra

ther

than

gra

tefu

l to

be h

ere,

com

ing

to se

e m

e an

d no

t eac

h ot

her,

havi

ng g

row

n di

stan

t ove

r the

yea

rs,

wha

t with

per

ceiv

ed sl

ight

s,diff e

rent

stru

ggle

s, a

nd d

ivid

ed p

oli

cs,

both

fam

ilial

and

na

ona

l.Fo

r aw

hile

, we

sam

ple

and

tast

e in

nea

r sile

nce.

Then

inte

rmi

ent,

civi

l,al

mos

t for

mal

con

vers

a o

ns b

egin

,te

s n

g th

e w

ater

s,un

l on

e da

ught

er p

ulls

a m

emor

yfr

om h

er lo

ng-ig

nore

d tr

ove

and

at th

e te

lling

, her

sist

er’s

vene

er c

rum

bles

and

soon

the

two

cave

in o

n th

emse

lves

,he

lple

ss w

ith la

ught

er a

t the

mem

ory,

tear

s of m

irth

runn

ing

off t

heir

chee

ksan

d in

to th

eir g

ravy

,le

avin

g th

e re

st o

f us m

ys fi

ed,

but a

lso sm

iling

and

som

ehow

relie

ved,

rede

emed

, as a

lway

s, b

y la

ught

er.

Mar

y El

len

Shau

ghan

Drea

ms

This

is th

e se

cond

gen

era

on

of te

enag

ed b

oys s

he’s

hear

dta

lk a

bout

driv

ing

to C

alifo

rnia

the

min

ute

the

dipl

oma

is in

thei

r han

d.It’

s as i

f som

e DN

Afr

om th

e go

ld m

iner

s of ’

49is

in th

eir b

lood

.I’l

l be

driv

ing

out,

he sa

ys.

John

’s go

ing

with

me.

The

next

one

ask

sHo

w m

uch

wou

ld a

taxi

cos

the

re to

San

Fra

ncisc

o?Sh

e re

mem

bers

the

ener

gysh

e w

aste

d, p

anic

king

over

the

dang

ers,

the

logi

s c

s,an

d th

e ch

ild’s

inno

cenc

e.N

ow w

hen

the

third

one

says

I’m o

u a

her

e,ju

st 6

mor

e m

onth

s and

I’m off

to C

alifo

rnia

she

does

n’t f

alte

r whi

le p

eelin

g th

e po

tato

, ju

st n

ods h

er h

ead

and

says

That

soun

ds g

reat

.Th

is is

no

me

for e

ither

logi

c or

pan

ic.

Whe

re w

ould

we

be w

ithou

t our

dre

ams?

May

be p

eelin

g po

tato

es.

Core

y Sm

ith

Qua

ntum

Imm

orta

lity

You

will

surv

ive

me

You

will

hid

e m

y m

emor

yIn

you

rs, s

cene

ry a

nd fa

mily

Vaca

ons

. On

a sa

d, lo

neso

me,

Whi

skey

nig

ht, y

ou w

ill, i

n hu

shed

Tone

s, w

hisp

er m

y in

secu

ri e

sTo

frie

nds w

hose

war

m a

rms w

illCa

lm y

ou. T

his a

nd y

our h

orizo

ntal

Pi

llow

ebb

secl

usio

n un

l th

e da

y,

My

Baby

Pie

, whe

n yo

u jo

in th

e co

llec

ve

Cosm

os a

nd w

e m

eand

er e

tern

ity.

I’ll r

ecei

ve y

ou a

nd o

nce

the

last

per

son

we

knew

Spea

ks o

ur n

ames

for t

he la

st

me,

we’

ll Va

poriz

e al

ong

with

our

era

As w

e co

ma

toge

ther

. The

y’ll

neve

r kno

wO

f the

win

ter w

alk

we

took

toni

ght i

n th

e ga

rden

As sn

ow fe

ll am

ong

the

silen

t tre

es

SEE

ALSO

Sch

rodi

nger

’s Ca

t (19

35),

Para

llel U

nive

rses

(195

6), Q

uant

um R

esur

rec

on

(100

Tril

lion)

Fang

Bu

Frid

ays

Me

and

the

boys

,w

e ta

lk d

irty

and

drin

kan

ythi

ng in

the

hous

eth

at is

n’t c

orke

d ‘ca

use

the

scre

w’s

bust

edan

d I’m

lazy

and

twist

-top

Mer

lot

gets

the

tong

ue w

aggi

ngju

st a

s goo

d as

top-

shel

fsc

otch

I fo

rgot

to b

uy.

Thes

e ni

ghts

we

set

my

neig

hbor

s’ e

ars a

blaz

ew

ith o

ur c

oars

e sm

a e

ring:

obsc

eni

es, S

pani

sh, H

ebre

w,m

e to

o so

ber f

or C

hine

se,

too

drun

k fo

r Fre

nch,

se li

ng so

mew

here

in b

etw

een

Chau

cer a

nd d

eath

met

al,

thou

gh a

t lea

st m

y pi

pes

are

too

lube

d to

sing

Tayl

or R

icke

Poem

in A

polo

gy

It m

ight

be

as si

mpl

e as

this—

I a

m so

rry.

I pu

t my

hand

s on

the

cart

that

day

not

kno

win

g yo

u w

ould

look

at m

e w

ith th

ose

eyes

and

repr

iman

d m

efo

r han

ging

on

as y

ou p

ushe

d th

roug

h K-

Mar

t.I d

idn’

t list

en u

n l

you

grab

bed

me

by th

e ar

m. I

did

n’t h

ear y

our d

eep

grow

lun

l m

y ea

rs w

ere

red

with

em

barr

assm

ent—

22 a

nd s

ll b

eing

scol

ded.

All

I can

say

is

I am

sorr

y, th

e lo

ck o

n m

y to

ngue

fi nal

ly p

icke

d— I d

idn’

t und

erst

and

my

hurt

half

as g

ood

then

, but

I kn

ow I

caus

ed it

with

my

open

mou

th a

nd e

mpt

y ea

rs.

Tayl

or R

icke

Backwoo

ds I h

eard

her

gra

ndm

othe

r’s lo

wgr

owl f

rom

the

othe

r roo

m; B

aby,

neve

rle

t a b

ackw

oods

whi

te b

oy fr

om In

dian

a te

ll yo

uhe

love

s you

. She

def

ende

d m

eag

ains

t the

wom

an’s

tong

ue, a

nd a

llI w

ante

d w

as to

wal

k do

wnt

own

with

her

, kiss

the

dark

cre

ase

her n

eck

mak

es.

Why

wou

ldn’

t she

go

with

me?

Bec

ause

it’s a

tric

k an

d he

can

cho

p th

e Al

abam

a pi

neou

t you

r fen

ce-s

trai

ght s

pine

, she

rum

bled

in h

er h

oney

full

hous

e w

ithits

six-

strin

g sin

ging

and

woo

d sm

oke.

Like

a lo

ose

cana

ryfr

om a

min

e sh

a :

been

thro

ugh

hells

the

othe

rsdo

n’t k

now,

shou

ldn’

t car

e,an

d so

hav

e th

ey,

but w

e do

n’t d

iscus

s ugl

ylik

e a

wom

an’s

aff a

irs,

foul

ed la

undr

y no

pla

cefo

r liv

e w

ire a

nd g

reas

ean

d a

3-do

g ni

ght.

Onl

y th

e w

akin

g is

hard

:4A

M a

nd n

o yo

uto

cal

m th

e liq

uor-d

ream

s,ca

tch

my fi l

thy

min

d,as

k m

e w

hat I

mea

ntin

my

poly

glot

ram

blin

gssp

la e

ring

the

toile

t bow

l,bu

t sto

ppin

g to

adm

irem

y g

ht a

ss. B

oy,

I lov

ed b

eing

you

r girl

.

Fang

Bu

Satu

rday

s

Satu

rday

s are

risk

y.Sa

turd

ays I

stum

ble

out o

f liq

uor d

ream

sw

an n

g m

y pi

ano

and

a do

se o

f poe

ms,

trip

ove

r the

Rai

den-

cat

who

doe

sn’t

know

the

wor

d “F

athe

r,” o

nly

the

men

in M

omm

y’s

life fl e

e n

g as

sprin

gov

er th

e Ea

st R

iver

,Sa

turd

ays I

rem

embe

r

Your

han

ds to

uchi

ngcu

rve

of h

ip, t

angl

eof

thig

h, th

at sm

ilea

er t

h e k

iss it

took

a w

eek

to p

lan

and

my

clum

sines

s

Geor

ge M

oore

The

Woo

d

That

tow

n’s b

orde

rs h

ad c

ordo

ned

off m

y lif

eat

a d

ange

rous

edg

e of

thin

gs w

here

it b

egan

,an

d al

thou

gh I

som

e m

es w

alke

d a

few

feet

in,

I was

nev

er o

ut o

f ran

ge o

f the

stre

et li

ght.

I nev

er k

new

the

trut

h of

Blo

odgo

ods P

ond

or S

hack

amax

on L

ake.

A c

hild

as t

acitu

rn, o

r num

b,as

all

hum

an c

hild

ren

are,

and

thes

e w

ere

wor

dsan

d so

unds

som

e ot

her c

reat

ures

mad

e.

In la

ter d

ream

s, a

venu

es re

mai

n. T

he B

oule

vard

or M

ain,

nei

ghbo

rhoo

d ro

utes

thro

ugh

the

thic

kof

cun

abul

a th

ings

, tal

isman

aga

inst

the fl u

xof

futu

re w

orld

s. A

mira

cle

the

tow

n st

ayed

hid

den

from

my

fear

s. W

oods

gre

w d

ense

r the

n in

Indi

a,Ira

n, in

Afg

hani

stan

and

on

the

Thai

bor

der.

But i

n ea

ch a

woo

d re

mai

ned,

a m

omen

t bet

wee

n he

re a

nd n

ow, a

nd th

en, o

n in

to th

e da

rk a

gain

.

Geor

ge M

oore

The

Book

Mar

ket

Alon

g th

e fa

mou

s riv

er, r

eade

rs c

omb

the

stal

ls fo

r som

e ol

d no

te o

f re

cogn

i on

, a b

ent v

olum

e an

othe

r has

le t

hem

from

som

e di

stan

ce

of c

entu

ries,

an

ink

of m

ud o

n pa

pyru

s fro

m a

long

the

Nile

, kep

t cris

p in

imag

inar

y py

ram

ids u

n l

this

stre

tch

of d

eser

t m

e un

fold

s, o

r a

curl

of b

ark

from

birc

h off

the

nor

ther

n pl

ains

, or o

ff th

e w

all o

f a

chur

ch w

here

bom

bs d

estr

oyed

any

sens

e of

its m

eani

ng, t

hink

ing,

lit

eral

ly d

ream

ing,

it w

ould

be

good

to k

now

wha

t non

e ha

ve k

now

n be

fore

. And

so, t

he d

elic

ate

scrip

ts a

re c

rack

ed o

pen

like

an a

ncie

nt

pysa

nka

egg,

show

ing

a pa

ralla

x of

hist

orie

s, fa

lling

alw

ays f

orw

ard

into

the

light

of d

ay. T

oday

, the

pag

es si

mpl

y ca

rry

code

s. T

he ja

rs sp

lit

open

, the

ir ro

lls e

xpos

ed, e

ven

abse

ntm

inde

dly

burn

ed to

war

m th

e he

arth

, or t

o co

ok a

mea

ger b

it of

buff

alo

or c

amel

. Wha

t is t

he w

orth

of

a b

ook?

How

fi n

g th

at a

pocr

ypha

from

true

lost

bel

ieve

rs sh

ould

on

ce a

gain

cat

ch fi

re. W

ho c

an y

ou tr

ust t

o de

cide

the

impo

rtan

ce o

f a

frag

men

t of k

now

ledg

e it

took

cen

turie

s to

tell

and

be u

ntol

d, th

at

then

was

pac

ked

in ja

rs a

nd b

urie

d, o

r as t

oday

, sta

cked

on

shel

ves o

f sm

all w

oode

n st

alls

alon

g th

e ci

ty’s

wat

erw

ay?

Whe

n Pa

ris st

reet

s are

ba

re a

gain

in sp

ring,

all

this

seem

s pur

ely

acad

emic

, or i

mag

inar

y, fo

r pa

ges c

url a

nd m

old

(a b

acte

rial s

urvi

vor o

f the

unw

ri e

n w

ord)

and

re

new

thei

r vas

t cam

paig

ns. Y

ou p

ick

up o

ne fo

r the

feel

of i

ts ja

cket

, br

i le

at t

he sp

ine,

and

dow

npla

y th

e sk

in-d

eep

deat

h. W

isdom

gon

e to

seed

. How

utm

ost a

nd a

ccid

enta

l thi

s one

seem

s, o

n th

e pe

riphe

ry

of y

our v

ision

, and

that

of h

istor

y’s.

How

muc

h? F

or th

is? A

new

one

off

the

inte

rnet

wou

ld b

e bu

t hal

f. Th

e w

ords

you

pla

y fo

r wor

ds o

nce

play

ed c

reep

out

of y

ou li

ke a

n ev

il sp

ell.

The

mar

kete

er d

rops

the

pric

e a

quar

ter,

a ge

stur

e of

mod

erni

ty. N

othi

ng b

ut th

e go

od a

re

bart

ered

for i

n lif

e. B

urne

d, d

enat

ured

, the

sand

s of s

ome

dead

cul

t gr

ound

into

the

skin

of y

our b

e e

r day

s. O

f tho

se w

ho h

ave

touc

hed

your

edg

es, d

rank

m

e, m

oist

enin

g th

e st

arre

d rim

of y

our g

alax

y,

whi

ch o

f the

m c

ould

bur

y yo

u aw

ay fo

r a b

e e

r fut

ure

past

, for

the

prop

osi

on o

f a lo

ve b

y pu

re a

ccid

ent?

as a

lway

s a th

irdpa

rty

to b

e go

en

over

, a e

r all

that

,a

salu

te. T

he e

xcav

a o

ngo

ne to

com

ple

on,

you

spok

e th

e w

ords

.

A ge

nie

rose

shrie

king

from

the

beds

ide

lam

p,“N

ot tr

ue.”

I kno

w,s

ll I

gave

you

bene

fi t o

f a d

oubt

:no

dou

bt y

ou lo

ved

with

in th

at m

omen

t,yo

ur fl

esh

in m

ine

unfu

rling

toge

ther

an

eter

nity

,ou

r lov

e w

as e

tern

alfo

r a m

omen

t. Tr

oubl

e is,

Satu

rday

s, I

love

s ll

.

Anna

E. C

hild

s

Phoe

nix

Froz

en

The

past

, tha

t lin

e on

the

high

way

,ye

llow

pai

nt st

retc

hing

ahe

ad,

fl ee

ng fl a

sh in

rear

-vie

w m

irror

then

gon

e;

ther

e is

a te

nden

cy to

env

ision

peo

ple

froz

en in

m

e—th

at g

irl w

ith o

ne b

lue

eye,

one

bro

wn

used

to ru

n ar

ound

with

me

hot e

veni

ngs i

n th

e ne

ighb

orho

od.

She

stay

s ete

rnal

ly si

x ye

ars o

ld w

ithou

t son

s, offi

ce, w

ork,

hou

se;

we

con

nue

to c

hase

eac

h ot

her a

cros

s bac

k la

wns

, up

hills

bar

efoo

t, sq

ueal

ing,

dip

ping

han

ds in

to o

ld p

eopl

e’s b

ird b

aths

.

Stra

nge

how

thes

e m

es b

ring

the

past

bac

k, m

akin

g lo

st fo

und,

and

twen

ty y

ears

late

r the

out

line

of th

e ch

ild’s

face

is s

ll fa

intly

visib

le in

the

Face

book

pho

to a

s you

star

e un

blin

king

at t

he sc

reen

.

As I

child

I le

arne

d to

let p

eopl

e go

, to

rely

on

the

min

d’s e

yefo

r she

en o

f hai

r, w

arm

th o

f sun

, glin

t of b

lue

eye,

yet

now

it is

cer

tain

: th

e fi r

st b

oy I

ever

love

d s

ll b

reat

hes b

eyon

d th

e sc

reen

.

Ther

e ar

e hi

s wor

ds a

er e

ight

een

year

s: il

l tem

per a

t his

job,

food

he h

ad fo

r lun

ch;

the fl i

p of

a sw

itch

eras

es a

ll di

stan

ce b

etw

een

now

and

seve

ntee

n, th

at w

hole

road

, un

l th

ere

is an

othe

r win

dow,

and

my

best

frie

nd o

f six

teen

who

is d

ead.

In th

e ye

ars s

ince

we

part

ed I

have

wat

ched

us w

alk

toge

ther

be

hind

my

eyes

thro

ugh

cold

nig

ht m

ist in

the

woo

ds a

bove

Cas

per,

the

spar

ks ri

sing

to st

ars f

rom

the fi r

e at

cam

p, a

nd I

have

hea

rdou

r lau

ghte

r in

a ro

o o

p po

ol in

El P

aso,

whe

n gr

owin

g up

beg

anto

bal

loon

as t

he sh

inin

g bu

ildin

gs ri

sing

out o

f dar

knes

s aro

und

us.

Will

iam

Knu

dsen

Hym

n #2

3

In th

e fe

ver,

I dre

am h

er sh

ape

out t

he w

indo

w.

Co o

n dr

ess c

lingi

ng to

her

hip

s. S

he tr

embl

es

unbu

one

d an

d he

r rib

s sin

g. T

here

are

old

wor

ldgo

ds in

her

smile

, dan

ces a

roun

d an

cien

t fi re

s.

I wou

ld n

ot tr

ade

such

fi c

ons

for a

ny tr

uth,

save

one.

A so

ng u

pon

wak

ing,

lips

bru

shin

g ag

ains

t

earlo

bes a

nd u

nbu

one

d ho

w w

e m

ight

sing

. Ho

w th

ose

old

gods

mig

ht si

ng.

Will

iam

Knu

dsen

Hym

n #5

The

even

ing

com

es, a

so m

oan

in th

e cr

ook

of th

ene

ck, s

hudd

erin

g in

to n

igh

me’

s bre

ast.

The

air i

s hea

vy w

ith th

e br

eath

of G

od, a

thic

k fo

g co

verin

g th

e ci

ty li

ke sh

eets

dam

p w

ith sw

eat.

Com

e cl

oser

. Lik

e w

e m

ight

kno

w e

ach

othe

rbi

blic

ally.

Brim

ston

e, e

xodu

s.

Wha

t are

we

mad

e fo

r if n

ot th

is? T

he c

lem

ency

of

crac

ked

open

, unb

u o

ned

and

blus

hing

naï

ve.

The

danc

e is

our fi

rst t

ongu

e sp

oken

. You

r hip

s are

song

s I w

ould

pre

ss m

y ea

r to

if yo

u’d

let m

e.

If lif

e ha

s tau

ght m

e on

e th

ing,

Hea

ven

is a

smal

lro

om w

ith o

pen

win

dow

s,

head

light

s thr

ough

the

blin

ds. G

od is

in th

e m

omen

tw

e fo

rget

our

wor

ds. O

ur b

odie

s spe

ak o

nly

of m

ercy

.

I’ve

foun

d m

ysel

f bes

ide

her i

n ca

rs, w

alke

d th

e ha

lls o

f hig

h sc

hool

w

ith h

er in

our

you

th. T

hen

soci

al n

etw

orki

ng m

ade

her fi

nal

ly g

one,

dead

of h

eroi

n at

twen

ty-n

ine.

Wha

t to

mak

e of

froz

en

me

that

ck

s?

The

past

onc

e st

ood

ther

e, g

ray

and

s ll

, a si

lent

mon

umen

t in

the

corn

er o

f our

eye

s; n

ow th

e lo

ves o

f a th

ousa

nd y

ears

bub

ble

to th

e su

rfac

e, o

ld co

mra

des,

forg

o e

n sc

hem

es, r

egre

ts th

at n

ever

die

;

they

cal

l and

cal

l, gh

osts

fi lli

ng a

ll ai

r, in

frin

ging

on th

e ve

ry c

orne

rs o

f lea

ving

, mak

ing

us fo

rget

the

very

idea

of l

ost,

beco

min

g ph

oeni

xes e

ver r

estle

ss in

coo

l red

dus

t.

Lenn

y De

llaRo

cca

Don’

t Blin

k

I sit

on th

e ot

her s

ide

of th

e ro

om, w

onde

ring

if it’

ll m

ove.

It w

hisp

ers

nam

es. I

won

’t lis

ten

to th

e co

o an

d w

arbl

e of

its m

ake-

belie

ve. A

nd

whi

le m

y he

art i

s a li

le le

ss fr

ee w

hen

it m

oves

, I a

dore

the

mob

iity

of it

. I w

ake

to le

arn

it ha

s alw

ays b

een

a a

ched

to m

y sle

ep. A

ll th

ose

drea

ms a

bout

fl yi

ng. A

ll th

at su

dden

li in

g off

the

gro

und.

No

sens

e fi g

h n

g. E

vent

ually

the

mus

ic, i

f tha

t’s w

hat i

t is,

lulls

me

into

mak

ing

frie

nds w

ith it

. I in

vite

it in

. It n

eeds

me

to su

stai

n its

elf,

but I

don

’t kn

ow th

at, n

ot u

n l

it’s t

oo la

te. I

onl

y kn

ow th

e fa

iry ta

le w

hich

I re

peat

to o

ther

s. I

only

kno

w th

e m

yth.

It is

eve

ryw

here

. It k

new

my

nam

e be

fore

I w

as b

orn.

Mar

cia H

urlo

w

The

Wife

of t

he T

rave

ling

Sale

sman

Whe

n yo

u ha

ve le

aga

in,

this

day

redu

ced

to a

thin

cind

er o

f sun

light

cau

ght

on y

our b

ack

fend

er, t

he d

ark

drop

s fas

ter a

nd re

peat

sw

ithou

t gat

herin

g le

af,

bird

or t

houg

ht, e

very

wor

da

sligh

t var

ia o

n no

t wor

tha

en

on,

a w

aver

ing

dron

ein

the

sam

e st

arle

ss n

ight

.

Mar

cia H

urlo

w

Deat

h W

ish

of th

e Ph

one

cia

n

Ever

y w

ord

kills

me.

If th

ere

are

ghos

tsI w

ant t

o be

one

who

sits

her

e ad

ri

in th

is cu

shio

ned

corn

er o

f cou

ch

surr

ound

ed b

y ba

ckvo

wel

s rou

nd a

s pill

ows,

who

rest

s to

form

ants

of h

igh

fron

t vow

els

whi

stlin

g in

m

eto

tune

s of t

he sp

here

s.N

o co

nson

ants

, ple

ase.

Don’

t obs

truc

t the

air.

Lenn

y De

llaRo

cca

Spic

e

Your

old

wife

sets

a p

late

bef

ore

you

at th

e ev

enin

g ta

ble,

look

s,

smel

ls, ta

stes

as i

t alw

ays h

as, b

ut th

is m

e lo

ok in

her

eye

s, th

ey w

ill

not m

eet y

ours

. An

appl

e sli

ce m

ello

ws i

n th

e w

ine,

ther

e is

a fa

ce in

it,

som

ethi

ng in

the

brot

h in

you

r spo

on th

at c

ould

onl

y ha

ve c

ome

from

a

fara

way

pla

ce. P

ush

back

the

mea

l. Le

t bird

s app

ear o

n yo

ur li

ps.

Take

day

light

from

you

r poc

ket l

ike

an o

ld

mep

iece

to

ck a

way

out

. Te

ll th

e w

oman

t o lo

ok a

t you

dea

d in

the

eyes

.

Mar

ia E

l ng

An O

ntol

ogy

of V

iole

nce

(Lev

inas

)

in th

e sh

arp

light

of n

amin

g an

d co

min

g to

kno

w, so

met

hing

m

oves

tow

ards

the

wor

ldad

vanc

es u

pon

it an

d th

ere

is vi

olen

ce in

that

, a g

roan

in th

e bo

wel

s, k

nash

of t

eeth

in th

e w

ordi

ng b

utgr

ace

also

.

a go

d-m

akin

g, a

let t

here

be

ligh

ng,

and

this

viol

ence

, irr

educ

ible

to th

e va

lves

of t

he h

eart

, pum

ping

the

heat

of a

ll th

ings

, th

e fi n

ger-s

lippe

d, th

e be

a n

g br

ain,

the

crac

ked

knuc

kle

crun

ched

ca

r la

ge n

ose,

its g

race

is g

ood,

this

god

is w

ith y

ou, i

s in

you,

is.

and

the

som

ethi

ng m

ovin

g, so

met

hing

sign

aled

snar

ed in

the

light

, red

han

d re

vela

ons

, kno

wn

by th

e pl

ace

in th

e da

rk w

here

it a

in’t

and

foun

d in

the

pray

er o

f you

r kno

win

g, in

the

overfl o

w o

f you

r giv

en

nam

e,ha

ppen

ing

even

as it

mig

ht b

ecom

e.

Mar

ia E

l ng

Stem

s (a

reve

la o

n of

suic

ide

cons

ider

ed)

I sho

uld

like

to k

eep

the fl o

wer

s fre

sh b

y w

indo

wsid

e I s

houl

d lik

e to

dry

and

pre

ss th

em fr

ee fr

om th

e br

i le

grie

f of w

il n

g,

you

belo

w,

So, d

o no

t, ju

st y

et, g

o.

A w

eek,

a m

onth

, nex

t Fal

l, fi

y F

alls

from

now

but

a

plot

and

ston

e gr

ow n

o gr

een

that

is m

ore

beco

min

gth

an th

e pi

nk S

prin

g of

you

r che

eks t

his m

orni

ng, i

n be

d,

me

besid

efi

y F

alls

will

com

e, c

ome

rush

ing,

com

e qu

ick

th

ey w

ill c

ome

to y

ou so

- do

not s

o qu

ickl

y ru

n fr

om m

e, w

hile

the

fl ow

ers a

re fr

esh

and

your

dea

r so

ski

n go

ing

rose

n an

d go

ld,

anno

unci

ng a

sum

mer

so lu

s u

lly n

ear.