Chicago born, Dan Beachy-Quick grew up in Colorado and upstate New York. He attended Hamilton College and the University of Denver. He worked for two years with autistic children—which left an indelible mark on his sense of language and (im)possibility. He attended the Iowa Writer's Workshop. Currently, he teaches in the Writing Program at the School of Art Institute of Chicago. Beachy-Quick is the author of three books, North True South Bright (Alice James), Spell (Ahsahta), and most recently, Mulberry (Tupelo), which was released in June 2006.
From "Halt (Naïve)"
B. Moby Dick
Mute latitudes, blind: the ocean mutters dumb
The jellyfish’s phosphorescent thumb (stinger),
That is the White Whale’s food. The ocean stings
The bit lip shut: I misspoke, I see I misspoke.
The ocean mutters: “no more, no more” (a message
Spoke not only to shore). I hear what I am told.
No ears are deaf save those that need not hear:
Who below the ocean knows the ocean
Murmurs most darkly to himself. White Whale—
Sailing-men say you do not die—
You in silence, silent lie, and flame your thought
Toward some uncharted depth-of-mind. You’ll divine:
Chapter Closed. Me? A coral reef? A captain
Or a Captain’s leg? A flaming-thought thinks
Itself, you do, you do. Your white silence the dark shark
Flees from in fright. No tooth threatens you,
You know. You know
Men think your tongue is dumb and mute with nacre—
I suspect—your tongue is dumb—as is a sodden acre.