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I am very happy that\u00a0Flatbush Review<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0a new and exciting online literary magazine, has published two of my poems, “Clean<\/a>,” and “Not Yet The Women They Would Grow Up\u00a0To Be<\/a>.” Interestingly, they both take place in the rain. Hence, the image accompanying this post. The poems are from a manuscript called\u00a0Words for What\u00a0Those Men Have Done\u00a0<\/em>that\u00a0I am sending around to publishers, and I am happy they have found a home, since they deal with aspects of sexual violence and sexual desire that I think we don’t often speak openly about. Here are a couple of excerpts:<\/p>\nfrom “Clean”<\/h3>\n
I want to feel his rage against my skin,
\nso I head downstairs, my shorts
\ntorn, without
\npockets, my shirt
\nas well, in sandals
\nthat if I left right now to search for you
\nwould not survive to the end of my block.
\nI walk the garden path
\ntill I\u2019m standing at the south end,
\nsoaking wet and watching
\nthe water in the fountain
\ndance its welcome
\nto the water from the sky.<\/p>\n
from “Not Yet The Women They Would Grow Up To Be”<\/h3>\n
Turning my flashlight off,
\nstanding still as a rod
\nbeneath the falling water,
\nI waited for the light
\nanother strike would bring,
\neach drop hitting my skin
\nlike a small stone.
\nHeaven itself,
\nI thought,
\nwas stoning me.<\/p>\n
If you do go read\u00a0the poems<\/a>, I’d love to hear what you think; and please consider checking out the\u00a0Flatbush Review<\/a>. It’s a journal with some real promise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am very happy that\u00a0Flatbush Review,\u00a0a new and exciting online literary magazine, has published two of my poems, “Clean,” and “Not Yet The Women They Would Grow Up\u00a0To Be.” Interestingly, they both take place in the rain. Hence, the image … Continue reading