5.8.26: Poem Untitled 1 #43
This piece is like a collision between prophecy, confession, political rage, and love poem, all spoken by a narrator who never fully trusts himself. The writing constantly shifts between grounded images—“pour me a small glass of orange juice” or “add a little gas to the carburetor”—and surreal flashes like “the elf-queen puts a bridle in my mouth” and “these antlers on my head are heavy as hell.” That tension gives the work its strange electricity. The speaker moves through addiction, religion, nationalism, fatherhood, and desire without ever settling into easy answers. Some lines hit with devastating clarity: “hurt people hurt people,” or “No, sir, I don’t know you at all.” What makes the piece memorable is its fearless unpredictability; every stanza feels capable of turning suddenly tender, dangerous, philosophical, or darkly funny.
5.8.26: Poem Untitled 1 #43 Read more
Book-length poems