Tag Archives: poem

“Nobody’s Sonnet” by Kurt Olssun

Posted on July 6, 2016 by jyourist

as it appeared in The New Republic, October 21, 2009.

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“Theory of Memory” by Louise Glück

Posted on February 18, 2016 by jyourist

Long, long ago, before I was a tormented artist, afflicted with longing yet incapable of forming durable attachments, long before this, I was a glorious ruler uniting all of a divided country—so I was told by the fortune-teller who examined … Continue reading →

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“Magdalene — The Seven Devils” by Marie Howe

Posted on August 29, 2015 by jyourist

“Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven devils had been cast out” —Luke 8:2. The first was that I was very busy. The second — I was different from you: whatever happened to you could
not happen to me, not like that. … Continue reading →

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“Alas, Time stays, — we go!”

Posted on July 10, 2015 by jyourist

A friend of mine is teaching a summer school class about the city of Chicago and is out of town for a couple of days, so I am subbing for her. The class is small and the students are 6th … Continue reading →

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Who are we

Posted on December 22, 2014 by jyourist

After a delicious pancake breakfast at home (including using organic coconut flour—oh yeah!), I worked in my studio, mainly organizing some of the clutter that has accumulated since summer. In a pile of random supplies and stray papers I found … Continue reading →

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“Negative Space” by Ron Koertge

Posted on December 9, 2014 by jyourist

My dad taught me to pack: lay out everything. Put back half. Roll things that roll. Wrinkle-prone things on top of cotton things. Then pants, waist- to-hem. Nooks and crannies for socks. Belts around the sides like snakes. Plastic over … Continue reading →

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“Keeping Things Whole” by Mark Strand (1934-2014)

Posted on November 30, 2014 by jyourist

In a field I am the absence of field. This is always the case. Wherever I am I am what is missing. When I walk I part the air and always the air moves in to fill the spaces where … Continue reading →

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“The Dice Player” by Mahmoud Darwish

Posted on November 29, 2014 by jyourist

This very powerful short film animated by Nissmah Roshdy, won the 2014 ZEBRA Prize for Best Poetry Film, illustrating an excerpt from Mahmoud Darwish’s “La-eb al Nard,” “The Dice-Player.” Below is the poem in its entirety. The Dice Player Who … Continue reading →

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Vermont Wedding

Posted on November 1, 2013 by jyourist

Today my sister and her partner of almost 19 years got married on a warm, sunny, and windy afternoon in Vermont. xxx A Blessing for Wedding xxxx Today when persimmons ripen Today when fox-kits come out of their den into … Continue reading →

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“Immortal Longings” by Robert Pinsky

Posted on October 20, 2013 by jyourist

Inside the silver body Slowing as it banks through veils of cloud We float separately in our seats Like the cells or atoms of one Creature, needs And states of a shuddering god. Under him, a thirsty brilliance. Pulsing or … Continue reading →

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