'Poem Ending With Some Advice' and Three More by Heather Christle
by Mark Bibbins, Editor
POEM ENDING WITH SOME ADVICE
I want to live in the rectangle it lights
me up I swear it is the nothing I have
never seen before reject this weather
I said to myself and fucked it out of
existence thank you for coming I am
happy to see you it is nice to see you
from across the prophylactic lake here is
my advice if you want to make a
commercial about two tortoises with
internet trouble their house should be a
one-story ranch if you want people to
you know believe you
SPRING POEM FOR HARPO
if we did not have skin we would not have
gladness skin is what keeps the
gladness in you know you are glad when
the skin begins swelling you can almost
not contain it the gladness the
feeling when you touch a warm stone with
all five of your toes then the others
the sun will one day grow so glad it will
destroy us our skin an immense
gladness will go all over all humming
like it is a farmer to dwell upon this
planet is a radical consolation already I
am swelling up like a berry not
smartly in a two foot patch of look
no snow
TRYING TO RETURN THE SUN
I don’t need anything but you and some
light the world goes on getting
inferred it is so stubborn and will not
erase things I think I should rub out my
eyes you will recognize me still won’t
you I am much older now older than
I’ll ever be all these eyes in my head
and the light what distinguishes my face
from a tree is the total lack of
commentary as in that tree loves you
honestly loves you I’m the noisy one
who has to say it
THANK YOU I WILL SEE MYSELF IN
this room without which I would shoot
into space is useful calms me your
face is a room I am resting in it later
refreshed I will walk out your mouth
this vase has room for only one flower I
am an unruly bundle a flip makes a room
it disappears when not in use no I am
not using it yes I do think you should
try
Heather Christle is the author of two books of poems, The Difficult Farm (Octopus 2009), and The Trees The Trees (Octopus 2011), as well as a chapbook, The Seaside! (Minutes Books 2010). She teaches poetry at Emory University, where she is a Creative Writing Fellow.
You may contact the editor of The Poetry Section at [email protected].
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