The RetroLounge Daily Poem Thread (Tue 10/28/2008)

[RetroLounge]

Maybe There Is Nothing Special Going On

Maybe there is nothing special going on.
We are reading or we are eating supper,

Maybe we are driving a back road. I look over
and see that if I stopped the car and got out,

if I started dancing and singing on the loose dirt,
if I put down the book and held your face in my hands,

or pressed myself to you, it would not matter,
You are too far from me.

Grief—I’ve seen her at night;
the way she dresses up, my god, she sparkles,

she shimmers. I can't blame you. I'd go to her too.
Who wouldn't want her and then want her again

once they'd felt all the ways
she makes a body shake.

Victoria Redel

*************



Victoria Redel was born in New York, a first generation American of Belgian, Rumanian, Egyptian and Russian parentage. She attended Dartmouth College(BA) and Columbia University (MFA).

Redel is the author of two books of poetry and three books of fiction. Her latest novel The Border of Truth (Counterpoint 2007) weaves the situation of refugees and a daughter’s awakening to the history and secrets of her father’s survival and loss. Loverboy (2001, Graywolf /2002, Harcourt), was awarded the 2001 S. Mariella Gable Novel Award and the 2002 Forward Silver Literary Fiction Prize and was chosen in 2001 as a Los Angeles Times Best Book. Loverboy was adapted for a feature film directed by Kevin Bacon. Many stories from Where the Road Bottoms Out have been anthologized. Her most recent collection of poems, Swoon (2003, University of Chicago Press), was a finalist for the James Laughlin Award. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines and journals including O the Oprah magazine, Redbook, Bomb, More and NOON

Redel is on the faculty of Sarah Lawrence College and teaches in the Graduate Writing Program at Columbia University. She has received fellowships from the NEA and the Fine Arts Work Center.



*************

:hi:

RL

[blueraven95]

1. good morning!

you are running late today.


:hi:

[RetroLounge]

5. Overslept a bit today.

:D

RL

[blueraven95]

9. you know, people who are waking up when I'm already at work...

make me mad. :P


:hi:


edit to fix smilie

[RetroLounge]

10. Hee.

I was up at 5am yesterday, but slept until 7 today...

I love flex time.

:hi:

RL

[BlueIris]

2. Stunning. nt

[RetroLounge]

6. Yeah, pretty much so...

I've not read any of her poetry before...

:hi:

RL

[Tuesday Afternoon]

3. grief sparkles

misery glows.

[RetroLounge]

7. and the body shakes...

:hi:

RL

[Chorophyll]

4. Wow. Awesome.

:hi:

[RetroLounge]

8. thank you

The poem is pretty awesome too!

:9

RL

[Chorophyll]

12. Tee-hee. :)

[RetroLounge]

11. kick

:kick:

RL