Poem
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From “Funeral Oration for a Mouse” by Alan Dugan
Humors of love aside, the mousetrap was our ownopinion of the mouse, but for the mouseit was the tree of knowledge withits consequential fruit, the true crossand the gate of hell. Even to approachit makes him like or better thanits maker: his courage as a spoiler never onceimpressed us, but to go out cautiously at Continue reading
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From “The Only Thing I Imagine Luz Villa Admires about Her Husband’s Gun—” by Xochiquetzal Candelaria
lonely but strong by design. She understands its negative worth, how it holds in the dark Xochiquetzal Candelaria is an American poet whose work has appeared in The Nation, Gulf Coast, The Seneca Review, and Poetry, where you can continue reading this poem. She is the author of Empire and Show Me the Bells. Continue reading
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From “El Mundo” by César Leonardo de León
when we played loteríaI was expected to like La Sirena the roundness of breasts rendered on cardboardshould’ve lured meinto the depths of manhood I liked El Mundo instead his chest wide, his back amplethe world balancing on the mounds of his shouldersthe authority of his thighs governing my gaze César Leonardo de León is a Continue reading
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From “I Remember Loteria” by Jacob Saenz
But I prefer to remember La Sirenaback when her breasts were freeof the seashells she now holdsto cover them in water so bluecold, her scales so red,her name clung to the tonguelike dulce de leche. Jacob Saenz is the author of the 2018 American Poetry Review/Honickman First Book Prize collection, Throwing the Crown. His poetry Continue reading
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From “Just Us: An American Conversation” by Claudia Rankine
And this is understandable, yes,understandable because the culture claims white is owned everything—a wealth of inheritance a system insures. In each generation he equation holds—and better than before and indifferent to now and enough and always and inevitably white. Claudia Rankine is an American poet, essayist and playwright. Her books include Citizen: An American Lyric, The White Card: A Play, Continue reading
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From “Aubade East” by Rita Dove
This morning there ain’t nothing I can’t do. This is my territory, I know all of it— ten long blocks flanked by might water. Walking any Avenue is like riding a cosmic surfboard on the biggest wave Rita Dove an American writer and the first Black poet to serve as Poet Laureate Consultant for the Library of Congress. Her Continue reading
Chapin City Blues 