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How yellow the sky how little the understanding
Intangible the things we know for sure
Dusty silica clouds over Europe the very same day
We brought our baby home His second Too yellow
For comfort Too sleepy Just sleepy enough
For us to sleep ourselves That was last night
Today the clouds shift Outside shifts Rain and shadows
A mezzotint glow Then no glow Heart or soul
Exactly seven pounds of civilization
Hematochrome and skin and bilirubin
Yawns blinks and can’t make up his made-up mind
The atmosphere can’t keep its own eyes open
We can’t keep our own eyes closed
Stephanie Burt, Professor of English at Harvard University, is author of several books, most recently the poetry collection Belmont.
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Poetry
“Room, Room, Room, in the many Mansions of Eternal Glory for Thee and for Everyone” & “Publick Universal Friend Adopts a More Androgynous Appearance, Wearing Long Clerical Robes, Sporting a Wide-Brimmed Beaver Hat Outdoors”
Congratulations to Adebe DeRango-Adem & Simone Person!
Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Lathe of Heaven reminds us of the radical power of collective imagination.
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