Daily Archives: December 29, 2013

The Conjurer

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Ijagun Poetry Journal

(after the painting by Hans Hofmann) Out of the fabric of his past from its tangled threads black defeats, blue indignities the embarrassments of red he wove a litany of lies cities sieged and taken nations conquered by his command … Continue reading →

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The Cardinals Are Dying

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Ijagun Poetry Journal

(after the painting by Max Ernst) Too slow, too weak, too old to fly on confident, preternatural wings with only words a book and stars as guides the cardinals are dying fallen from grace their scarlet feathers litter the ground … Continue reading →

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My Ladylove Was Not So Tough

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Ijagun Poetry Journal

One lady encountered I at an odd time in late July odd I say because it was not a trial just a perfect escapade of a liar But that was not my perpetual toga I felt unusually serious with a … Continue reading →

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You and I

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Ijagun Poetry Journal

We started this game As an entry into our fame Not a shame in our name Or to maim our fine aim We started this game As peaceful pigeons Not as reprobate sir or dame That ends in a rueful … Continue reading →

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If There Is No Poetry

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Ijagun Poetry Journal

If there is no poetry, How would we address the tensions That suppress our delicate minds? If there is no poetry, How would unexpressed words Not coagulate into meaningless bits? If there is no poetry, How would Wordsworth, With his … Continue reading →

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Passing

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Ijagun Poetry Journal

I was twelve before I realized my father wasn’t white, until then I thought nothing of his clay colored skin, eyes dripping like honey or ropes of black licorice hair snaking alive and furious down his back. My breasts sprung … Continue reading →

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For the Animals

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Ijagun Poetry Journal

A horse’s heart weighs more than you’d think. Make them work for it, the keeper said, so I hid the organs and quartered head pieces around the sagging chamber, a macabre and ridiculous game. But the cold heart I placed … Continue reading →

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Produce

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Ijagun Poetry Journal

Some people have penchants for winning radio contests, others for numbers of the choice prizes at the bars—the artists or doctors instead of the waiters or students—but me, I get the grocery clerks and confused check stand men at the … Continue reading →

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Swallowing Secrets

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Ijagun Poetry Journal

The only thing she’s been swallowing is secrets, And she’s been living off them for days. But of course, she’s only taking half the serving; Measuring the ounces in palms of her hands, popping open another 0 cal Diet Coke … Continue reading →

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Love Reads Braille

Posted on December 29, 2013 by Ijagun Poetry Journal

You do not love me. You love the way my eyes look under these fluorescent lights. You’re in love with the colors with which I paint my words. The arteries of your heart are directly linked to your eyes Like … Continue reading →

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