We've Only Just Begun: Anne Carson's Short Stories

Bookforum reminds us that Anne Carson has turned to writing short stories, having recently published one in Harper's ("We've Only Just Begun") and another, this week, in the New Yorker ("1 = 1"). Never fear, purists. There's poetry here, too.

He took my glasses from me and polished first one then the other lens with a handkerchief taken from his breast pocket. A familiar Washington-clean-linen smell rose around me, mingling with my own vapors. There comes a moment when you realize that other people are not interchangeable. I looked for you! I said and suddenly wept. He wept, too. Later that night he gave me the poem he’d composed in the café at the Akropolis Museum. He said it was a found poem and I said, Good I’m a found person. Using a red pencil he had circled all the past participles in the Akropolis official museum guide.

Adapted Balanced Blown up Bombarded Climbed Contested Converted Demolished Drilled Encroached on Excavated Fortified Hunted Kept secret Not planned Occupied Painted Partly planned Planned but never built Polluted Prohibited Refurbished Revered Rock-cut Sketched Sold Sprung fully armed Tested superbly To be continued

I guess you can guess the title he gave it. It was I who alphabetized. The poem is framed now over our kitchen stove. But I digress.

Hey! Speaking of:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFQ66DBDP_8