Joseph Semenovich, “self-pity deserves an elegy”

A poem by Joseph Semenovich (March 18, 1935 to 1998) from the back cover of Brass City no. 3 (May/June 1996). More by and about Joe appeared at Issa’s Untidy Hut.

self-pity deserves an elegy

let me die
with my eyes wide awake
a friend, even if it be a stranger
to shut them for good
the two pennies in my pocket
put them on my lids
carfare enough
to pay charon, the ferryman
to row me across the styx
tell him, for me, thank you
and be you friend or stranger
or just the wind or the silence
of my apartment: thank you

Fail better

Four poems just posted for the spring issue of failbetter.com.

“On Meeting Charles Wright” (link)

“On Meeting John Ashbery” (link)

“On Meeting Elizabeth Bishop” (link)

“On Meeting Charles Simic” (link)

If poetry journal

If now has an online component to its print journal. It is seeking poems to publish, two or three a week, along with reviews of poetry collections and interviews with writers. To submit, please send 3-5 poems (in the e-mail, no attachments) to the editor Don Illich at ifpoetryjournaleditor [at] gmail [dirt] com. Specify in the email that your work is for the online journal.

A hoax anthology

I like the idea behind the hoax anthology posted recently by the folks at for godot: a collection of poems attributed to poets who didn't actually write them. But I'm not as keen on the execution. Are these seemingly computer-generated texts supposed to be parodies? If not, then is one poem by each poet enough to allow this project to do or say anything significant? I think maybe the project could have worked if the editors built up a kind of false context for each poet in the “issue.” Issue, I guess, means that this will be an annual or something? That's fine. I have no idea what they expected to gain by including me and a host of other poets most have never heard of. Were the editors trying to say something about the vast number of publishing poets these day? Or were they just trying to create an absurdly huge issue? Whatever the faults so far, I'd be interested to see what these guys come up with if they make a second stab at it. If they can give it a point or two. But if the point is only supposed to be that there is no point—yawn—or if this is just another faux heralding of the death of the author—yawn, yawn—that would only be worth it if the pieces succeeded as art, which they don't.

Here's “my” poem (from page 2580!)—

The imperial ways

Delirium turned like red
Little as a key

A piece of
                  ways
A thread of periods
The imperial orbits
Using silver
A foot of emeralds

Making ice
________________________________________
Hat tip: Geof Huth.

Friday's Top Five

1. Drunken Boat
I'm stealing the format of this post from former frontman, current ironman poet, Todd Colby. I'm going to post soon on how I came across Drunken Boat in 1991; back then I thought they were going to be the next Sonic Youth—yes, that big! (and that good).
2. Sephyrus
What other candleshop website quotes Robert Creeley and Ezra Pound? And the candles are smokin'. Go Rachel!
3. Typo Magazine
Issue 10 is a little more uneven quality than is typical for this poezine, but it's still one of the best out there. The two highest points in this issue: Clayton Eshleman's essay "Wind from all Compass Points" and Tony Tost's pieces from Elephant & Obelisk.
4. Mike Tanier's Two Deep Zone
For a few years now over at Football Outsiders Mike Tanier has been cranking out the best football writing around, and some of the best sports writing period.
5. PostSecret
Mail art gone mainstream—what some might consider a guilty pleasure.

Shadowtrain

I have four poems in the recently posted September edition of Shadowtrain. Martin Stannard's Things I Want To Learn may be my favorite poem in the issue.

Octopus 9

The latest issue of Octopus is up and contains an appreciation of Joe Ceravolo's Transmigration Solo. To commemorate the occasion, here's a poem from that collection. I like the simple, child-like diction. The progression of the observations from external to internal, and their confluence together with the somewhat Ashberian shifting of pronouns: the poem has its "we" section, its "I" section, and its "you" section. And Joe's trademark innocence-filled questions create their typical pleasant surprise (here not quite achieving the kōan-like quality they sometimes do in his poems).

SPELL OF ETERNITY
Joe Ceravolo

We are going to the park.
There are swings there.
There are rocks along a sand bed.
The flowers rest along
the bed. The flowers
rise among the fatigued
insects invading them.
There is a smell.
It invades us
through the insects
and makes us
notice there are flowers along
the bed, tiny flower clusters.
I envy the smell along the beds.
Is this a decaying soul? But
it is not said.
Am I decaying like
autumn insects, autumn leaves?
Find my heart!
Revive it! The old clouds
you find along the sky
have no chance next to you,
because it is autumn,
autumn.
 

Onedit

One of the coolest online poezines, onedit has just released its eighth issue. My favorite part of this one has to be the poems from Sean Bonney's possibly brilliant, definitely hilarious Baudelaire in English. There's also a very nice, and very different, review section, e.g. the Jackson Mac Low review.

Melancholia's Tremulous Dreadlocks

The first issue of Andrew Lundwall's new poetry Webzine, Melancholia's Tremulous Dreadlocks is up. Some fine poems by Chris Toll and Eileen Tabios, among others. Ambitiously, Andrew is looking to update/publish MTD bi-weekly. If I had any readers, I might suggest they send some good work along to him to help get this project rolling.

Shampoo Issue Twenty-Two

"Clean hair / good poetry" with the new issue of SHAMPOO.

Eratio 4

The new issue of eratio postmodern poetry is up, featuring Nick Piombino, Laurie Price, Jack Foley, Jake Berry, Mark Young & Jukka-Pekka Kervinen (excerpts from their work The Sketchbooks of Hieronymous Bosch), and many others.