Justin Marks' poems have appeared in recent issues of Absent, Fulcrum, H_NGM_N, MiPOesias, and La Petite Zine, and are forthcoming in Soft Targets and the Outside Voices 2008 Anthology of Younger Poets. His first chapbook, You Being You by Proxy, was published by Kitchen Press in 2005. [Summer insular], his second chapbook, is forthcoming from horse less press in 2007. His first full length manuscript was a finalist for the 2006 May Swenson Poetry Award. He lives in New York City.
Day's Travel
Cramped and cramped, your foot you hard stamped
and stamped upon yourself a precious map
out of yourself, at pains to see yourself,
which was not too hidden there, on your shelf
of books and those nostagia trinkets
that handomed up your little apartment
where you tried so hard to find
your way to some place else. Direction lied.
Stutter. Hiccup. Much too much to drink.
Vomit on your shoes. Then furniture spoke:
How do? Like another drink?
No? No, not this one around, boy, bloke!
And you—damned your river self—dank, had failed,
but stamped once more, your map gone, no voice to wail.
which was not too hidden there, on your shelf
of books and those nostagia trinkets
that handomed up your little apartment
where you tried so hard to find
your way to some place else. Direction lied.
Stutter. Hiccup. Much too much to drink.
Vomit on your shoes. Then furniture spoke:
How do? Like another drink?
No? No, not this one around, boy, bloke!
And you—damned your river self—dank, had failed,
but stamped once more, your map gone, no voice to wail.
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