Alternate Forms for Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18
The Bard’s most famous sonnet very nearly wasn’t a Shakespearean sonnet. Rejected pairings of content and form, from rondelet to an acrostic hiding his name.
Lunch Poems
A collection of 15 issues
J. Y. Strain
J. Y. Strain lives and works in Bloomington, Ill. This poem is dedicated “for my brother, regarding his ride.” I’d Like to See You at Thanksgiving If you wanna go Grand Prix there’s some things you gotta know. Digest this holiday plea: Get rid of that Mitsubitchi. You
Michael Loughran
“Year of the Grim Light” I was using fewer and fewer words, and then I was using none. Not even a running gag with the dog, or reading old history out loud to a houseplant. Not even half a song sung to the TV news anchor on TV. Not even
Sugar Cube
There is a big difference between looking for something and simply looking, though travel can suit both pursuits.
Beware of False Friends
A new poem about lies and truth, and the fact that George Washington’s transplanted teeth were not made of wood, but probably came from his slaves.
All This Debris Is Starting to Clog the System
A poem for when missing someone makes the soles of your feet hurt.
Humility & Co.
A new poem about the things families say and do during the holidays—when some words mean nothing, and some wreck meals.
Mikvah
A new poem, part confession, part song, about immersion and seafood soup.
Poem for Starlings
A reminder of why banks are terrible places to practice your stand-up comedy routine.
Spanking the Arils From a Pomegranate
Aril: “an extra seed-covering, typically colored and hairy or fleshy, e.g., the red fleshy cup around a yew seed.”
Slider
A new poem in which Descartes is proven wrong, and T. Rex’s Marc Bolan appears in a dream and starts thieving.
Kentucky Derby
A new poem about jockeys, ponies, and golden eggs filled with candy, and how quickly races are won when you’re drinking.
Platelet Count Descending
A new poem by the author of “Chronic,” in which “Lady Sings the Blues” is intoned, sung, spoken, and hollered.
Leveling Up
An invokation of Super Mario Brothers, Buddhists, and the customers at your local Starbucks.
Poem Written on the First Anniversary of My Father’s Death
A new poem by the author of “Green Squall” and winner of the 2005 Yale Series of Younger Poets Award.