Painted Bride Quarterlys Slush Pile

Jason takes the helm of our artisanal editorial process today when KVM is called away at the last minute. It’s always our hope that our discussion will be instructive for both the poet and our listeners. Come along as we consider two poems from Zachary Kluckman. In the first, “The Lineated World,” the haunting ballroom image reminds Sam of the medieval era’s danse macabre. This lyrical, reflective poem is full of memento mori once we start looking, from moths to meringue to the scent (stench?) of the corpse flower. Jason appreciates how the use of enjambment torques the line and adds pressure to each sentence. The haunting continues in the second poem with a memorably spooky scarecrow. We discuss how this poem’s structure, with its longer line and single stanza, impacts the poem’s pacing. And we ponder stillness versus inertia. Something in the poem’s ending recalls Naomi Shihab Nye’s The Art of Disappearing. Join us as we throw thumbs. Thanks, as always, for listening.    At the table:  Tobi Kassim, Samantha