Poetry magazine

Poetry Magazine

July/August 2009

Poems by Hoagland, Hirschfield, Simic, Beasley, Levine, Dlugos, Boss, Hicok, Merwin, Goldbarth and others; a portfolio of Flarf and Conceptual Writing; Revell on Creeley, Pollitt on Bishop, Koethe on the New York School; unpublished Yvor Winters letters; poetry comics by Gary Sullivan

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JUNE PODCAST

Poetry Magazine Podcast Each month the editors of Poetry magazine talk about the issue. Listen here to the most recent episode.
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The Dark Has No Teeth
Poems by D. Nurkse, Rae Armantrout, Averill Curdy, and Michael Hofmann, plus Tom Sleigh's take on Thom Gunn.

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DISCUSSION GUIDE

Guide Interested in discovering other ways to approach a poem? Have a look at our discussion guide for the April issue.

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Current Issue

Kevin McFadden More from this issue »

Featured Poem

An Auto-da-fé

Kevin McFadden

I have nothing to recant, I am just
the decanter. You, the just destroyer,
have in faith become the role, recalling
for those gathered the noble fallen
with a prayer to his-grace-above-fire,
(“Turn me, I’m burnt on that side”)
St. Lawrence. Well done, I applaud.
And you: Well executed.

This is it. Not much else to await
when our fates touch: I’ve nowhere to be
but eternity, you’ve nothing to catch
but the thatch. Dry on dry,
we keep our wits about us . . .
no one to meet but our match.
Conor O'Callaghan

Featured Prose

You're Not the Outlaw You Think You Are

By Conor O'Callaghan

In 1987 our local authority had a poetry competition. A linen porter in London, I handwrote two entries on a4 refill pad. One got second prize. The night of the ceremony the judge was locked in the administrator’s office with a quarter bottle of whiskey until a final decision was reached. A disgruntled also-ran snored theatrically in the front row and stopped only when the judge—a sparrow-like man with the mother of all comb-overs—informed him that he was a black belt in karate. In the pub, the judge cashed a bad check for £50, attempted to woo an ex-nun, and sang to my mother when that hadn’t worked. He ended the night holding my hand and assuring me it was nothing homosexual. READ MORE »

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