Our last dispatch from the Poetry in Transit archives brings you this excerpt from “Atmospheric with Dull Knives” by Jen Currin, featured in 2006, the year that Poetry in Transit celebrated its tenth anniversary!
This excerpt also reminds us of the power of poetry to transport us, to allow us to explore the contours of unfamiliar places (and minds) from the comfort of our homes. This magic is coming in handy these days.
Look out for Rob Taylor’s final #NPM2020 interview tomorrow. Don’t forget to stay home and #ReadLocalBC!
from “Atmospheric with Dull Knives” by Jen Currin
Yesterday on the pier I saw a ship
with five sails. I saw another with none.
I turned back to my book.
When I looked up, the sail-less ship
had blossomed – two handsome triangles fluttered,
white as nursery bed sheets.
And as I sat there, the wind read the book
rapidly, with no regard for rhyme.
Reprinted with permission from The Sleep of Four Cities by Jen Currin (Anvil Press, 2005)
See more poems from the archives and our National Poetry Month interview series here:
Read more 2020 National Poetry Month features here.
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