“Elena Wears the Robe”: The Rumpus Inaugural Poem
On August 5, 2010, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. She will be the 112th person to serve on the Court, and the 4th…
Poems
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“I Will Away,” a Rumpus Original Poem by Keetje Kuipers
I Will Away With your promises tucked like a dry newspaper under my safe arm.
“Googlism for Steve,” a Rumpus Original Poem by Neil de la Flor
Googlism for Steve Steve is in my closet. Steve is non-industrious and totally asexual. Steve is still alive somewhere in the world.
“Of All the Dead People I Know,” a Rumpus Original Poem by Karyna McGlynn
Of All the Dead People I Know I can’t imagine any of them hanging out. They are in arcadia with their laptops but there are no outlets, and they are…
“The Green of Iran” A Rumpus Original Poem by Sholeh Wolpé
The Green of Iran No departures here. In Tehran out and in are closed, under and over, stained.
National Poetry Month: Day 31. “Paper Person” by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Paper Person I trace paper’s origins to ancient China, where a eunuch in the Imperial Household collects wasps. He watches them bounce against oiled panes of linen, chew
National Poetry Month: Day 30. From “The Tinajera Notebook” by Forrest Gander
From “The Tinajera Notebook Synthesized with a common helplessness. Fined-down by the exorbitant demand of work, surrounded, inundated with chatter as the zócalo is when grackles descend en masse whirring,…
National Poetry Month: Day 29. “Cain” by Jericho Brown
Cain First, a conversation. Now, A volcano. Call me quick Tempered vegan. Turnip Lover. Fruit licker. Mound
National Poetry Month: Day 28. “How to Dance When You Do Not Know How to Dance” by Nick Lantz
How to Dance When You Do Not Know How to Dance You and I fit together like two millstones, and oh the music we make of grist, going round and…
National Poetry Month: Day 27. “i.e.” by Stacy Kidd
i.e. The window, say the window shattering on a arm Say any given home/ river/ one town over/ loose stone Let loose [of course, towns grow like shattering Say prove the towns…
National Poetry Month: Day 26. “Patato y Totico play ‘Ya Yo E’” by Patricia Spears Jones
Patato y Totico play “Ya Yo E” In this short film, a young man in Havana Carries two buckets of water Up and down three flights of stairs Three times…
National Poetry Month: Day 25. “Errata” by Randall Mann
Errata I’m a little punchy after all the lines and torture-lite. And since this isn’t glitter underneath my nails, pass me an emery board and the strip brush—