Wow. Out of the spell check comes this masterpiece. I will never think of the ridiculous things spell check has presented to me the same way. Stunning poem.
I have listened to this 10000 times and it burns. Love this so much. Just recently have left a 15 year relationship. This poem touches everything I’ve been feeling Shared it numerous times as well. Thank you.
Thank you for including a recording of you reading your poem. Your voice reading your words give them so much more depth and clarity than just me reading them to myself.
I used to think I “wasn’t really into poetry” but at the same time could recite from memory hundreds of song lyrics that pierced my heart and still live in my soul…the difference I feel is “hearing” them vs reading them…I know I will be coming back to this recording over and over like a favorite song that I found tells me something about myself that I didn’t know or couldn’t say on my own.
And that’s just it, isn’t it. Art teaches us something about ourselves, reminds us of our shared humanity. You taught me something today. Thank you.
I found this poem a hard read. All the more real for capturing that particular long lasting agony.
It spurred me to write a love poem. At the beginning, being smitten is magic.
Several of my favourite writers have said a similar thing: you know a writer is good when you devour their work and it inspires you to write, not to emulate them, but to be provoked to create in your own voice .
What a great way to begin the month of love. And what a treat to hear you read this poem of yours. The Sestina form makes the returning waves of grief in your poem really resonate. Beautiful! … Also, I am going to look for a collection of your poetry. I’m a fan!!!
Wow, that piece of the poem does stand on its own. Now you got me thinking! On Substack, I think I've published a lot of stuff that'll need more editing. Probably not major revision but detail work, for sure. So I think of Substack as a working lab, I guess. Or maybe like a soft opening for a restaurant or a Broadway play. And, of course, there's also a lot of stuff that is solidly done. As far as submitting to magazines, I'll send stuff when editors ask for it. But I haven't published in magazines nearly as much as other writers who have a career like mine. But I think they need to be much more ambitious and dedicated to publishing in magazines because of their jobs in academia. Publish or perish, right? I don't have to worry about that because I'm not a professor. Here's the great thing about Substack though: Thousands of people read this poem. That would not be the case for any literary magazine except for maybe The New Yorker. My poems are reaching a far larger audience here.
What you write is true. I like the notion of this forum being in part a working lab, while much of what you write is fully finished.
I'm enjoying the different forms of poetry you are engaging in as well as the essays and fiction.
There's a global receptive audience who give you instant considered feedback and their own writing and experiences and response, which I find valuable and often extremely moving.
I welcome each new offering and the broad span of emotion and experience you cover.
You know a poem is exciting if you can take one part of it and place it by itself and see it stand up all alone. Ex:
Can rage be sacred?
Can bitterness be a balm?
Can I dig my hand
into the cinders
and pretend that my burns
are hieroglyphics?
How do you decide when a poem is ready to self publish on Substack vs. sending it out to literary magazines for consideration? Do you still send out to lit mags, or have you reached a point in your "career" to focus mostly on Substack?
This poem, especially the suggestion of a loss of a faith in a god, really resonated with me. It does feel like a splintering and sometimes like a fire going out in yourself. I’m from Humboldt County, California, though I’ve been in Boston so many years, so the imagery of redwood makes it feel that much more familiar. I miss those trees.
I truly loved this poem. Being the ADD engineer that I am, I need to point out one little cosmetic correction. In the middle of the poem there are two lines with “how is it”. The first is missing the “it”. (minor detail)
Wow. Out of the spell check comes this masterpiece. I will never think of the ridiculous things spell check has presented to me the same way. Stunning poem.
I have listened to this 10000 times and it burns. Love this so much. Just recently have left a 15 year relationship. This poem touches everything I’ve been feeling Shared it numerous times as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Kristi. I'm honored that the poem carries such meaning for you. And condolences on the end of your relationship.
Thank you Sherman. I look forward to every post. ❤️
Thank you for including a recording of you reading your poem. Your voice reading your words give them so much more depth and clarity than just me reading them to myself.
I used to think I “wasn’t really into poetry” but at the same time could recite from memory hundreds of song lyrics that pierced my heart and still live in my soul…the difference I feel is “hearing” them vs reading them…I know I will be coming back to this recording over and over like a favorite song that I found tells me something about myself that I didn’t know or couldn’t say on my own.
And that’s just it, isn’t it. Art teaches us something about ourselves, reminds us of our shared humanity. You taught me something today. Thank you.
Poetry is foundationally an oral art. Good and great poems should be read aloud!
I found this poem a hard read. All the more real for capturing that particular long lasting agony.
It spurred me to write a love poem. At the beginning, being smitten is magic.
Several of my favourite writers have said a similar thing: you know a writer is good when you devour their work and it inspires you to write, not to emulate them, but to be provoked to create in your own voice .
Thanks Sherman.
What a great way to begin the month of love. And what a treat to hear you read this poem of yours. The Sestina form makes the returning waves of grief in your poem really resonate. Beautiful! … Also, I am going to look for a collection of your poetry. I’m a fan!!!
Thanks, Shelly!
Wow, that piece of the poem does stand on its own. Now you got me thinking! On Substack, I think I've published a lot of stuff that'll need more editing. Probably not major revision but detail work, for sure. So I think of Substack as a working lab, I guess. Or maybe like a soft opening for a restaurant or a Broadway play. And, of course, there's also a lot of stuff that is solidly done. As far as submitting to magazines, I'll send stuff when editors ask for it. But I haven't published in magazines nearly as much as other writers who have a career like mine. But I think they need to be much more ambitious and dedicated to publishing in magazines because of their jobs in academia. Publish or perish, right? I don't have to worry about that because I'm not a professor. Here's the great thing about Substack though: Thousands of people read this poem. That would not be the case for any literary magazine except for maybe The New Yorker. My poems are reaching a far larger audience here.
What you write is true. I like the notion of this forum being in part a working lab, while much of what you write is fully finished.
I'm enjoying the different forms of poetry you are engaging in as well as the essays and fiction.
There's a global receptive audience who give you instant considered feedback and their own writing and experiences and response, which I find valuable and often extremely moving.
I welcome each new offering and the broad span of emotion and experience you cover.
Ngā mihi.
Thanks Sherman. Thanks for the great poem.
You know a poem is exciting if you can take one part of it and place it by itself and see it stand up all alone. Ex:
Can rage be sacred?
Can bitterness be a balm?
Can I dig my hand
into the cinders
and pretend that my burns
are hieroglyphics?
How do you decide when a poem is ready to self publish on Substack vs. sending it out to literary magazines for consideration? Do you still send out to lit mags, or have you reached a point in your "career" to focus mostly on Substack?
Thanks kindly, AJM
I always feel a wave of joy when your posts fly into my inbox
That's very kind. Thank you..
This is super powerful and timely for me. Thank you for writing, and speaking, and sharing.
Thanks!
Your poem caused a cascade of thoughts, but foremost is my memory of the Snyder poem "How Poetry Comes to Me":
It comes blundering over the
Boulders at night, it stays
Frightened outside the
Range of my campfire
I go to meet it at the
Edge of the light
Thank you for writing, Mr. Alexie.
I need to hear your poetry to take it in. I’m not a good poetry reader. Happy that you read for me.
I'm happy the audio recordings work for you!
Thank you for sharing this. It's beautiful.
Thank you, Will.
This poem, especially the suggestion of a loss of a faith in a god, really resonated with me. It does feel like a splintering and sometimes like a fire going out in yourself. I’m from Humboldt County, California, though I’ve been in Boston so many years, so the imagery of redwood makes it feel that much more familiar. I miss those trees.
Thank you, Kayleigh.
Wow, amazing to see your process Sherman.
I had seen your post on "speak-linger" last week. To go from that light, funny moment to this deep, thoughtful poem is just...sacred.
Thank you, Mry Kay. I'm still surprised by this poem's journey.
I truly loved this poem. Being the ADD engineer that I am, I need to point out one little cosmetic correction. In the middle of the poem there are two lines with “how is it”. The first is missing the “it”. (minor detail)
Thanks for loving the poem. And thanks for the edit. I'm a one-man shop year and serve as my own copy editor! And I make mistakes!
That’s so moving… and elegant… the pauses in just the right places. Seems life is just one long parade of loss… well done!
Thank you, Theresa.