Anathema
A Russ Cope Poem
Anathema, the old folks
say, and the town people
say, leaving the unfortunate
isolated and alone
out of what could be new
and promising, but it's just
a walking by curse.
Russ Cope Poems
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Russ Cope Poem
Deer Head Trophy
A Russ Cope Poem
A deer head trophy
on the wall, made of real
animal, talks to me.
Why did you, why did you
do this to me, it says
over and over again into
my own spiraling darkness.
A Russ Cope Poem
A deer head trophy
on the wall, made of real
animal, talks to me.
Why did you, why did you
do this to me, it says
over and over again into
my own spiraling darkness.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Russ Cope Poem
RoadKill
by Russ Cope
It's a rain-swishing kind
of day when I am stopped
at the red light.
The truck in front of me
is loaded down with branches,
leaves, wooden flats.
A bit of what looks like
foliage sits still at the side
of the road.
The passenger hops out, gives
it a tap of the foot to avoid
teeth, and then hoists it in
the air.
It is like a stiff, glued carpet
and he plops it in the back,
pulling away,
leaving me thinking about life.
by Russ Cope
It's a rain-swishing kind
of day when I am stopped
at the red light.
The truck in front of me
is loaded down with branches,
leaves, wooden flats.
A bit of what looks like
foliage sits still at the side
of the road.
The passenger hops out, gives
it a tap of the foot to avoid
teeth, and then hoists it in
the air.
It is like a stiff, glued carpet
and he plops it in the back,
pulling away,
leaving me thinking about life.
Friday, September 18, 2015
Russ Cope Poem
Giant
A Russ Cope Poem
A giant washed up on shore
today
from God knows where
We played in his bones
until mother made us come inside,
and we stunk to high heaven
That night, we showered luxuriously
and planned how we would
build swords out of the rib cage
But his body was gone the next
day and we never found him again,
and what’s worst
is mother threw our baseball cards
and childhoods away
while we were gone at the beach.
Russ Cope Poem
No Face
A Russ Cope Poem
It’s honest to God the best
interview I’ve ever seen, people
pawing over a new piece
of tech, rolling it in their hands
like a joint and cooing like doves.
The last person interviewed sealed
the deal.
Underneath her wide brim
straw hat, there was no face, only a sound
coming out,
describing how she needed a new phone.
Just perfect.
Russ Cope Poem
Fang
A Russ Cope Poem
Today we found a tooth
made of stone, impressed in rock.
It’s probably the earliest known
specimen of fang, long before
we were walking out of the soup
and learning how to devour
each other.
I imagine I
could build a whole
animal around this one piece,
just start with the tooth
and go from there, slapping on skin,
hair, jewelry, neuroses, and therapy.
Russ Cope Poem
My Wooden Boyfriend
A Russ Cope Poem
Cami tells me her boyfriend
is made of wood.
I imagined
it as some kind of metaphor,
then I met him.
He stood in the doorway like
some dime store cigar Indian.
I can’t imagine how she pulls
the splinter out of her tongue.
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