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Trompe l’oeil
Trompe l'oeilAll the failures of an existence,when meticulously compiled,and given a certain coherence,resemble a sort of pyramid—monumental—though truncated,maybe—when seen from a distanceat the precise moment the fadingsun reaches it,… More
Poems (1945-1971)
The CanaryThey stood him where the harshest wind blowsthey promised him to the froststhey gave him a black dressand a red tiea nail-punctured sun that drippedblack glassesblood… More
“At sunrise I arose . . .”
At sunrise I aroseTo the sound the machine animals makepassing by in the streets over headsWas it briefly interminable orinterminably brief or bothIt was the face ever undone by… More
The Clean Shirt of It: Selected Poems
Prior EveningDeath waits in the insignificance of a plum tart.In the remote darkness of the fridge,it slumbers lightly, immersed in custard.The hour is sluggish. The house sleeps unabridged.All night… More
Recumbents
Cardiogram (May)The Seine was green by your armFurther than the Mirabeau bridge beneaththe hills like a breathingThe suburbs praised usI would have wanted I would haveso needed you to… More
PEN Joins in Condemning Suppression, Censorship of Climate Science
Following a House Oversight Committee hearing that probed censorship of government climate scientists, PEN and eight other leading First Amendment and academic organizations have called for continuing congressional oversight… More
Aphrodite Colleague
Aphrodite ColleagueModern anadyomene of the rest rooms lovelyBotticellian mid a great flushing noisecenters herself in green doorframe arranging blondeneath electricity her braid her waveand with a downy sweater’s sleevetugs… More
On Translation
Translation is of course conspiracy. Whatever else it is or may intend, translation represents a concerted move of the few against the many, the foreign against the domestic, there… More