The Symptom PoolEven in death a herd animal doesn't like to go it alone so around and around the field the dead horse goes until there are two, three, four to travel together. Enter a certain weather. Fall of failing and of failing to see it through. Enter birds starting up unmercifully in the dark and the nonstop whirring of the little machine you call heart. Enter the copycat hallway, the same caliber loaded grandfather's gun, the ball bearings and black backpacks exploding in the sun. Enter this season's dresses fanning out in mermaid tails so all the girls' legs look pegged on below the knee. Enter legs pegged on below the knee, the bewildered girlfriend, the shutdown capital, the sweet stench of uneaten hay. Lisa Olstein is the author of three books of poetry: Radio Crackling, Radio Gone, winner of the Hayden Carruth Award; Lost Alphabet, a Library Journal best book of the year; and Little Stranger, a Lannan Literary Selection. Her work has appeared in many journals and anthologies, including The Nation, American Letters & Commentary, and New Voices. She is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize and fellowships from the Sustainable Arts Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Centrum. She is a member of the poetry faculty at the University of Texas at Austin. |