Poetry from Christopher Bakken from our Fall 2016 issue.
We seized the night and shook it till it broke,
so time and bottles and most of our shoes
spilled from its breaking—and music gushed too:
Paris and Nikos relentless till five.
Blame them for this minefield of broken glass,
our unreasonable outbursts of joy.
Someone danced until his knees were bleeding.
Someone said she had fractured her being.
Then that night ended. Then sun, as before.
Now the instruments unwind in their coffins,
and we pace along the balcony and stare.
The broken girl is asleep on last night’s chair.
Some say we have tonight. Tomorrow too.
In the fireplace, a few embers glow.
Brother, bring me some coffee. OK, and beer.
We’re going to need at least a thousand years.
*
Purchase MQR 55:4 (Fall 2016) for $7, or consider taking out a one-year subscription for $25.
Image: Maristany, Hiram. Detail of “Night View.” 1961. Gelatin silver print. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.
