Poem Up at the “Such an Ugly Time” page of Rat’s Ass Review

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My poem, “Sensing My Dismay at the Election Results, My Wife’s Dog Presses Against Me” is up at the “Such an Ugly Time” page of Rat’s Ass Review. The poem originally appeared here in November 2016, but has been given new life, thanks to editor Roderick Bates.

18 thoughts on “Poem Up at the “Such an Ugly Time” page of Rat’s Ass Review”

  3. I’ve loved this one since I first read it last year, Bob. The I-presume-intended legerdemain of the “pale disks” that opens it up to double entendre (at least to my mind; says something about me, huh?!); and especially the elegant, eloquent ending “what’s happened to us, my home, our country.” That is masterful use of pronoun shifts there, my friend. Side note: fortunately not all us pale people are racists and haters, and I’m sorry you, your wife, and friends have experienced such crap. I hope there is some (at least small, but not cold) comfort knowing that you are not alone!

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    • Oh, those pale disks. Of course in using that phrase I am doing exactly what has been done to the “me” of the poem – assigning non-personhood, a lower status, based on personal appearance. It is a double-edged blade that diminishes the user, but it seemed necessary to the integrity of the piece. I have led a privileged and fortunate life and have encountered such instances so infrequently that they surprise me to no end when they occur. I can’t imagine what it is to to live that life daily. To be honest, I think these occurrences bother my wife (pale midwestern woman of English-Alsatian descent) more than me.

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  5. Highest congratulations are in order for this one, my friend! Apropos of our email convo yesterday about transparency and ethics in poetry publishing, it seems Rat’s Ass is truly a cut above. Also, this is a raw and magnificent poem, and so deserving of its appropriately distinguished showcasing here!

    I spent some extra time poking around RAR, and have happily determined that it will be one of my homes away from home for a long while, especially because of this excerpt from the editor’s submissions tips:

    “Now we’re getting to it. What is my kind of poem? My favorite poets are Richard Wilbur and Elizabeth Bishop and W. H. Auden and Edna St. Vincent Millay and W. B. Yeats and Robert Hayden and a bunch of others who don’t have much in common. What they do have in common is that, if you read their best poetry carefully, you will understand something about what’s going on the first time you read it. You will get a lot more out of each poem the more you read it, but you don’t have to study it to get the first level of enjoyment. It isn’t work. You don’t have to tie the poem to a chair and beat it with a hose (apologies to Billy Collins).” <<!! *sigh*
    — David M. Harris, Founding Editor of Rat's Ass Review

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