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Brendan
Constantine studied poetry with Suzanne Lummis, is the author of several
poetry collections, teaches poetry at The Windward School, and
conducts poetry writing workshops at the summer Idyllwild Poetry
Festival. His parents are both film actors.
Emptying Your
Arthouse
(poems conceived from the titles of
foreign films)
(The 6,6,6,6,8,4 count comes from a form conceived by Jamie
O'Halloran)
JAPAN
Onna Ga Kaidan O Agaru Toki
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
The carpet is so old
it creaks. I climb tip toe.
Outside the theater
sirens pass & deepen.
I hide in the men’s room & wait
for a signal.
Buta to Gunkan
Pigs & Battleships
When water comes
squealing
to my fat sink, you
pound
on the wall; distress codes
of a one-armed
sailor
aboard a gasping submarine.
Is it so loud?
FRANCE
Les Jeux Des Anges
The Games of Angels
The first one to cry
wins
first crack at the statues
in the lobby. Loser
carries the winner home
on their back. On your mark, get set,
go to Heaven.
Les Yeux Sans Visage
Eyes Without a Face
Your mouth belongs
to me.
That coral leaf between
the dark & your answer
is mine. What you still own
is what you say into your hand
& it kills me.
ITALY
San Michele Aveva un Gallo I
Saint Michael Had a Rooster I
had two big ass
dogs, too –
Gabriel & Daniel
–
all three mean as all fuck.
Walked the yard, watched
his choice power tools & tow truck,
his righteous sword.
San Michele Aveva un Gallo II
Saint Michael Had a Rooster II
Bullet hole in the
sun,
fire crest, fire chin,
coarse scissor cutting names
out of air, calling home
each spurred or spared or sacred chick.
Thank God it’s dead.
GERMANY
Das Mädchen auf den Brett
The Girl on the Diving Board
I am no cannon ball,
sister, no jack-knife trick
of sunlight. Not even
an amateur swan, just
a coin spilt from my mother’s purse.
get rid of me.
Leute mit Flugeln
Men with Wings
Isn’t it about time
we left? Outside, the trees
are predicting houses.
The billboards are learning
to read. Let’s fly before we have
nowhere to crash.
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