Tupelo Press 30/30 Poetry Marathon Commentary Days 1-5

By Thomas Page For the month of January, I will be writing one poem in a "poetry marathon." The poems will be posted here: https://tupelopress.org/the-3030-poets As part of the marathon, I will be providing commentary on each of the poems every five days. General Context: For this marathon, I'm writing poems for a proposed collection … Continue reading Tupelo Press 30/30 Poetry Marathon Commentary Days 1-5

William

By Maryam Khamesi Before you could speak,you listened to classical musicyour father playedon a vintage pianowhile your mothercradled her stomachand hummed along,whispering, William,this is for you.When you touched land,you learned the concept of time,how people age and die,how some die before they age.Your mother fought breast canceras you buried yourself in books,movies, music that made … Continue reading William

How foreign, that the soul by which I breathe

By Scott Andrew Kass How foreign, that the soul by which I breathe,And have since, like the closing of a flower,To shield the bud, my flesh had made its sheath,Rejects its purpose; so Divine a power,Shriveled to waste, as if in refuse strewn,It shivered at the passing traffic's chill,At ends of alleys, deepened 'neath the … Continue reading How foreign, that the soul by which I breathe

12 Days of the Holidays: “New Year’s Resolution” by D.R. James

A cliché of sequins staccatosacross this first verse of sun, acrossundisturbed snow as white and composedas Styrofoam – till you can’t dismisswhat’s winking, what truly is twinkling,or then the burly squirrel bounding through,a cartoon ball bouncing out its tune.Granted, this should finally do you good.In fact, it should go on resoundingagainst the discordant rounds withoutand … Continue reading 12 Days of the Holidays: “New Year’s Resolution” by D.R. James