• The Russell Sonnets

So, the "Russell Sonnets" are a set of modern sonnets (much in the vein of Marilyn Hacker) detailing the imaginary ins and outs of a life-partneresque relationship.

hey russell     your tie is undone

in the bustle     of new york avenue     i see you     try to hustle

to a taxi    not waiting for you
  
sounds of gutters washing down     traffic lights all so     distracting.

our flat is narrow     your neck is thicker     than it was when

we first met     all those years ago     back on fire island at jess' house

with thom and the east-side girlz and boyz. i felt compelled to

call her up     for us all to get together
 
some time        soon

but     when i asked jess how she and what's his name (russell, i can never

remember his name)     were doing she said bitterly:     "he's in

texas this weekend     having sex with his     ex-boyfriend" 

so i figure we had best stay in town here

another day or two.







i like 

comma splice     modifiers big words and run-on sentences.

your mind.     thinks in bullets.        that sting.

i pride myself on my quick wit and wishful thinking. we can be

star-crossed and giddy together.

"busy day today," you tell me. "wrote three new pieces and adjusted

a fourth."     (comfort & regulatory Jedi mind-trick you like to use on me).

"what d'you come up with today?"     hard work being in love w/ another

poet.    hard life licking envelopes w/ our respective manuscripts or tearing 

open others

w/ rejections or polite rewrite messages.

i like

your seductive reverse psychology, russell. your sly ways and shining 

smiles urging me to find another publisher.     to write another one. 







russell	       come and talk to me.	       come and be

with me a while. sit down in this chair and tell me how your

day went.	       covet my attention. bend my ear.

tell me how much harder i need to try to reach you,

tell me how one-sided our relationship is.	       tell me to stop using

you	       as my		       muse. "i don't know you anymore...

you've become some sort of post-modern

truman capote.	       "i don't like this spotlight---turn that high-powered

lens of yours on yourself and tell me	       what do you see...?

is it still the man i fell in love with? honestly..."	well.

goddamn. who knew?	       who knew? see, writing poems lately has been like 

pulling teeth.	       being with you lately has been like looking in a mirror.

"i think	       we remind eachother	       of all the things

we hate about	       ourselves."

• Chy Ryan Spain

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