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Brad Aaron Modlin: Everyone at this party has two names (2016, Southeast Missouri State University Press) No rating

If a Tornado Strikes, We'll Live in Its Eye by Brad Aaron Modlin

If broken bricks whirlwind around us. If a green sky and a train sound and kitchen knives and engine parts. If basement pipes and something steel from the roof. If no bathroom or ditch to hide in. If her bare arms and dangerous tin cans from Thursday's recycling. If the bedside lamp we clicked on-off-on-off-on every morning. If nails flying by. If a refrigerator tries to land on our skulls. If she needs someone smarter or stronger or funny. If checkbooks and the books we took too much of each other's time to read. If we're both so damn exhausted. If one in two houses ends in tornadoes.

If I tell her about the couple at the Greyhound station on my way home from Birmingham. If cyclone dirt in my eyes, and hair in her eyes, and her hair in my face. If glass shards like fish scales. If a crumpled chimney like ours. If it's our neighbor's house. If we've forgotten what our house looked like. If she stands so close she's standing on my toes. If I say, At the bust station, I saw a husband and wife asleep on each other. If backs on the terminal floor, they pointed their legs at opposite walls. If each rested their head atop the other's. If she's on my toes. If she doesn't scrunch her eyes to answer me, and say, But that can't physically happen.

— Everyone at this party has two names by  (Page 80)

replied to Josh Simmons's status

@josh

Could Have
by Wislawa Szymborska

It could have happened.
It had to happen.
It happened earlier. Later.
Nearer. Farther off.
It happened, but not to you.
You were saved because you were the first.
You were saved because you were the last.
Alone. With others.
On the right. The left.
Because it was raining. Because of the shade.
Because the day was sunny. [...]

https://genius.com/Wisawa-szymborska-could-have-annotated

replied to gastarbajterica's status

@gastarbajterica@dju.social I look forward to your responses every day! Really enjoyed the cadence on this one, almost left me breathless toward the end which seemed very much intended by the author.

Note to self: revisit hashtags in BookWyrm. It seems to render yours appropriately when they come through, though not when I tried including them in my original posts. Would love to make this more discoverable for fellow travelers.

replied to Josh Simmons's status

@josh

It is a joy to discover new poems/poets and be reminded of my favourite poems. I was looking for a poetry group, checking the groups with „poetry“ in their names, asking for directions… And then I stumbled upon your thread!

I hope you will figure out how hashtags work. It would be great if more people joined in, and if their posts were replies to your original post. Perhaps you could also encourage adding poems?