The interior love poem
the deeper levels of the selfdates when the abandonment
of certain principles occurredThe role of courtesy—how to enter
a forest, how to touch
a master’s feet before lesson or performanceThe art of the drum. The art of eye-painting.
How to cut an arrow. Gestures between lovers.
The pattern of teeth marks on skin
drawn by a monk from memoryThe limits of betrayal. The five ways
a lover could mock an ex-loverThe skill in tentative messages
which included yes and no
but never the direct maybeNine finger and eye gestures
to signal key emotionsThe small boats of solitude
Lyrics that rose
from love
back into airnaked with guile
and praiseOur works and days
We knew how monsoons
(south-west, north-east)
would govern behaviourand when to discover
the knowledge of the deadhidden in clouds
in rivers, in unbroken rockAll this was burnt
or traded for power and wealth
from the eight compass points of vengeancefrom the two levels of envy
Granta 166: Generations Online
Generation Gap
‘We meet at various points in the great swathes of the past that neither of us were alive to witness.’
Allen Bratton on a daytrip to a castle with his older boyfriend.
Generation Gap
‘Listening to three white poets, whom I suspect are academics, talk about the state of poetry.’
Oluwaseun Olayiwola eavesdrops on an older generation.
Generation Gap
‘I’d been dubious about his company at first.’
Sarah Moss on watching Shakespeare with her twelve-year-old son.
Generation Gap
‘She didn’t trust us because, to her, tenants were like children.’
Kate Zambreno on negotiating with her older landlady.
Generation Gap
‘A moment now swallowed in embarrassment, I asked a question only a young person might ask an older one.’
Lynne Tillman on trying to understand what makes a generation.
