American Poetry Now: Pitt Poetry Series Anthology

Peter Meinke

 4 peter Meinke Peter Meinke haspublishedfifteenbooksof poetry,themostrecent beingTheContractedWorld.Heisalsotheauthorof theshortstorycollections ThePianoTunerandUnheardMusic;abookonwriting,TheShapeof Poetry; andtwochildren’sbooksinverse,TheLegendof LarrytheLizard andVery SeldomAnimals.Hispoemshavereceivednumerousawards,includingtwo NationalEndowmentfortheArtsFellowships.HetaughtatEckerdCollege fortwenty-sevenyears,andhasbeenwriter-in-residenceatvariouscolleges anduniversities.Mostrecently,heheldtheDardenChairinCreativeWriting atOldDominionUniversityinNorfolk,Virginia.Meinkeandhiswife,the artistJeanneClark,havelivedinSt.Petersburgforoverfortyyears.  4 peter Meinke Sonnet on the Death of the Man Who Invented Plastic Roses Themanwhoinventedtheplasticrose isdead.Beholdhismark: hisundyingflawlessblossomsneverclose butguardhisgraveunbendingthroughthedark. Heunderstoodneitherbeautynorflowers, whichcatchourheartsinnetsassoftassky andbinduswithathreadof fragilehours: flowersarebeautifulbecausetheydie. Beautywithouttheperishablepulse isdryandsterile,anabandonedstage withfalseforests.Buttheresults Supportthisman’sinvention;heknewhisage: avisionof ourtearlesstimediscloses artificialmensniffingplasticroses. (Untitled) thisisapoemtooursonPeter whomIhavehurtathousandtimes whoselargeandvulnerableeyes haveglazedinpainatmyragings thinwristsandfingershung bonelessindespair,palefreckledback bentindefeat,pillowsoaked bymyfailuretounderstand. Ihavescarredthroughweakness andimpatienceyourfrailconfidenceforever becausewhenIneededtostrike youweretheretobehurtandbecause Ithoughtyouknew youwerebeautifulandfair yourbrighteyesandhair butnowIseethatnooneknowsthat  4 peter Meinke abouthimself,butmustbetold andretolduntilittakeshold becauseIthinkanythingcanbekilled afterawhile,especiallybeauty soIwritethisforlife,forlove,for you,myoldestsonPeter,age0, goingon. The Poet, Trying to Surprise God Thepoet,tryingtosurprisehisGod composednewformsfromsecretharmonies, torefromhisfieryvisiongalaxies of unrelatedshapes,botheven&odd. ButGodjustsmiled,andgavehisknow-allnod saying,“There’snosurprisingOnewhosees theacorn,root,andbranchof centuries; Iswallowallthingsup,likeAaron’srod. Soholdthisthoughtbeneathyourpoet-bonnet: nomatterhowfree-seemingflowsyoursample GodisbydefinitiontheUnsurprised.” “ThenI’llreturn,”thepoetsighed,“tosonnets of whichthisisaratherpaleexample.” “Isthatright?”saidGod.“Ihadn’trealized....” Liquid Paper Smoothasasnail,thislittleparson pardonsoursins.Touchthebrushtip lightlyand—abracadabra!—acleanslate. Weknowthosewhoblottheirbrains bysniffingit,whichshows iterasesmorethanink andwithimaginationanything  4 peter Meinke abouthimself,butmustbetold andretolduntilittakeshold becauseIthinkanythingcanbekilled afterawhile,especiallybeauty soIwritethisforlife,forlove,for you,myoldestsonPeter,age0, goingon. The Poet, Trying to Surprise God Thepoet,tryingtosurprisehisGod composednewformsfromsecretharmonies, torefromhisfieryvisiongalaxies of unrelatedshapes,botheven&odd. ButGodjustsmiled,andgavehisknow-allnod saying,“There’snosurprisingOnewhosees theacorn,root,andbranchof centuries; Iswallowallthingsup,likeAaron’srod. Soholdthisthoughtbeneathyourpoet-bonnet: nomatterhowfree-seemingflowsyoursample GodisbydefinitiontheUnsurprised.” “ThenI’llreturn,”thepoetsighed,“tosonnets of whichthisisaratherpaleexample.” “Isthatright?”saidGod.“Ihadn’trealized....” Liquid Paper Smoothasasnail,thislittleparson pardonsoursins.Touchthebrushtip lightlyand—abracadabra!—acleanslate. Weknowthosewhoblottheirbrains bysniffingit,whichshows iterasesmorethanink andwithimaginationanything  4 peter Meinke canbemisapplied...Inthearmy, ourtopsergeantdrankaftershave,squeezing myOldSpicetothelastslowdrop. ItworkedlikeLiquidPaperinhishead untilhe’dglideacrossthestreetsof Heidelberg huntingforthehouseinBoise,Idaho, wherehewasborn....If IwereGod I’dauthorizeCelestialLiquidPaper everysevenyearstowhitenourmistakes: weshouldbesorryandlivewithwhatwe’vedone butsevenyearsislongenoughandallof us deserveavisitnowandthen tothehousewherewewereborn beforeeverythinggotwrittensofarwrong Atomic Pantoum Inachainreaction theneutronsreleased splitothernuclei whichreleasemoreneutrons Theneutronsreleased blowopensomeothers whichreleasemoreneutrons andstartthisallover Blowopensomeothers andchoirswillcrumble andstartthisallover witheyesburnedtoashes Andchoirswillcrumble thefishcatchonfire witheyesburnedtoashes inachainreaction  4 peter Meinke canbemisapplied...Inthearmy, ourtopsergeantdrankaftershave,squeezing myOldSpicetothelastslowdrop. ItworkedlikeLiquidPaperinhishead untilhe’dglideacrossthestreetsof Heidelberg huntingforthehouseinBoise,Idaho, wherehewasborn....If IwereGod I’dauthorizeCelestialLiquidPaper everysevenyearstowhitenourmistakes: weshouldbesorryandlivewithwhatwe’vedone butsevenyearsislongenoughandallof us deserveavisitnowandthen tothehousewherewewereborn beforeeverythinggotwrittensofarwrong Atomic Pantoum Inachainreaction theneutronsreleased splitothernuclei whichreleasemoreneutrons Theneutronsreleased blowopensomeothers whichreleasemoreneutrons andstartthisallover Blowopensomeothers andchoirswillcrumble andstartthisallover witheyesburnedtoashes Andchoirswillcrumble thefishcatchonfire witheyesburnedtoashes inachainreaction  4 peter Meinke Thefishcatchonfire becausethesun’sforce inachainreaction hasblazedinourminds Becausethesun’sforce withplutoniumtrigger hasblazedinourminds wearedyingtouseit Withplutoniumtrigger curledandtightened wearedyingtouseit torchingourenemies Curledandtightened blindtotheend torchingourenemies wesingtoJesus Blindtotheend splituplikenuclei wesingtoJesus inachainreaction Zinc Fingers Thoughscientistsinformusthatcriminals haveinsufficientzincI’vealwaysbelieved it’sinsufficientgoldandsilverthatgets themgoing Themanwhoslippedhishandinto myfrontpocketonthejammedParisMétro wasn’ttryingtomakefriends Hisovercoat smelledgreasyanditwasunpleasantholding handsabovemywallet pressedinonallsides likestackedbaguettes Therewasnowaytomoveor takeaswing Still someactiononmypartseemed tobecalledfor: westood nosetonose Itried  4 peter Meinke Thefishcatchonfire becausethesun’sforce inachainreaction hasblazedinourminds Becausethesun’sforce withplutoniumtrigger hasblazedinourminds wearedyingtouseit Withplutoniumtrigger curledandtightened wearedyingtouseit torchingourenemies Curledandtightened blindtotheend torchingourenemies wesingtoJesus Blindtotheend splituplikenuclei wesingtoJesus inachainreaction Zinc Fingers Thoughscientistsinformusthatcriminals haveinsufficientzincI’vealwaysbelieved it’sinsufficientgoldandsilverthatgets themgoing Themanwhoslippedhishandinto myfrontpocketonthejammedParisMétro wasn’ttryingtomakefriends Hisovercoat smelledgreasyanditwasunpleasantholding handsabovemywallet pressedinonallsides likestackedbaguettes Therewasnowaytomoveor takeaswing Still someactiononmypartseemed tobecalledfor: westood nosetonose Itried  4 peter Meinke tolookinhiseyesbuthestaredatmychin shyonourfirstdate soafterawhileas werattledalongtowardtheChamps-Élysées Ilostconcentrationandbegantothink of ourscholarlydaughterworkingatYale onaprojectcalledZincFingers scanninga proteinwithpseudopods eachwithatraceof zinc thatlatchontoourDNAandhelp determinewhatwebecome Thisbroughtmeback tomonami thepickpocket: Iwondered howhechosehishardlineof workandif as aboyhewasgoodatcardsforexample orsewingandforthatmatterwhatchoicedid Ihaveeithersowhenwereachedourstopand helookedupfrommychinatlastIsmiledat himandhiseyesflashedinfearorsurpriseand IcalledIt’sOKashescuttledaway Toutvabien! thoughIheldtighttomywallet A Meditation on You and Wittgenstein Wittgensteinnevermetyoufacetoface butfanciedsomeonelikeyouwhenhesaid Theworldiseverythingthatisthecase amaximhardtofathom Nevertheless itsrhythmstuglikeAriadne’sthread: theworldiseverythingthatisthecase theworld’severythingthatisthecase (youforexamplesleepinginmybed) AlthoughWittgensteinnevermetyoufacetoface heguessedlogicliesinpoetry’sembrace andfromthesamedarklabyrinthhasfed theworldbeingeverythingthatisthecase:  4 peter Meinke tolookinhiseyesbuthestaredatmychin shyonourfirstdate soafterawhileas werattledalongtowardtheChamps-Élysées Ilostconcentrationandbegantothink of ourscholarlydaughterworkingatYale onaprojectcalledZincFingers scanninga proteinwithpseudopods eachwithatraceof zinc thatlatchontoourDNAandhelp determinewhatwebecome Thisbroughtmeback tomonami thepickpocket: Iwondered howhechosehishardlineof workandif as aboyhewasgoodatcardsforexample orsewingandforthatmatterwhatchoicedid Ihaveeithersowhenwereachedourstopand helookedupfrommychinatlastIsmiledat himandhiseyesflashedinfearorsurpriseand IcalledIt’sOKashescuttledaway Toutvabien! thoughIheldtighttomywallet A Meditation on You and Wittgenstein Wittgensteinnevermetyoufacetoface butfanciedsomeonelikeyouwhenhesaid Theworldiseverythingthatisthecase amaximhardtofathom Nevertheless itsrhythmstuglikeAriadne’sthread: theworldiseverythingthatisthecase theworld’severythingthatisthecase (youforexamplesleepinginmybed) AlthoughWittgensteinnevermetyoufacetoface heguessedlogicliesinpoetry’sembrace andfromthesamedarklabyrinthhasfed theworldbeingeverythingthatisthecase:  4 peter Meinke forloveordreamsof lovecurlsatitsbase andif youmissityourheart’sbledanddead Iwishhecouldhavemetyoufacetoface Anounceof lonelinessoutweighsapoundof lace: whatstrangeequationswindingthroughmyhead! PoorWittgensteinnevermetyoufacetoface Theworldisonlyeverything:that’sthecase Preacher, Said the General Preacher saidtheGeneral arewenotable tocarveacaneora stickforthegloryof God? Whyartthouwroth? andwhy isthycountenancefallen? Thisriflenow,theM- I’mofferingyou isn’titbeautifullybalanced (thoughobsolete)? Thecurve of burnishedstock fitssnuglytheshouldersocket Isitnotsweettohearka-rack of thespinningbullet thedownwardswerve of adjustedtrajectory zeroingintothesheepliketarget SMACKatamileaway? Whatdoyousay: isn’tthat satisfactory? Andtellme isn’t aman-madecloud aterrificthing? (harderthanfireand softerthancumulonimbus warmerthansummer andlouderthanbirthandhot  4 peter Meinke forloveordreamsof lovecurlsatitsbase andif youmissityourheart’sbledanddead Iwishhecouldhavemetyoufacetoface Anounceof lonelinessoutweighsapoundof lace: whatstrangeequationswindingthroughmyhead! PoorWittgensteinnevermetyoufacetoface Theworldisonlyeverything:that’sthecase Preacher, Said the General Preacher saidtheGeneral arewenotable tocarveacaneora stickforthegloryof God? Whyartthouwroth? andwhy isthycountenancefallen? Thisriflenow,theM- I’mofferingyou isn’titbeautifullybalanced (thoughobsolete)? Thecurve of burnishedstock fitssnuglytheshouldersocket Isitnotsweettohearka-rack of thespinningbullet thedownwardswerve of adjustedtrajectory zeroingintothesheepliketarget SMACKatamileaway? Whatdoyousay: isn’tthat satisfactory? Andtellme isn’t aman-madecloud aterrificthing? (harderthanfireand softerthancumulonimbus warmerthansummer andlouderthanbirthandhot 0 4 peter Meinke withtheholydesire of manfordominion overeverythingthatmoveth...