5 poets feature in Versus.
Claudia Bierschenk, Ron Campbell, Carolyn Cordon, Howie Good and JP Reese. Each poet was asked to write a poem on 15 different topics. And their 75 different reactions / opinions / interpretations feature in the book. Find snippets below!
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on drink …
Club-Mate by Claudia Bierschenk …
They’re crowding subways and doorways
freeze their bony knees outside
important clubs for hours
on seasons …
Why did the snake cross the road? by Carolyn Cordon …
the creature pounded my heart,
bang bang bang,
as the shiny, undulating
metre and a half of it
disappeared
on convenience stores …
To the Blue by Howie Good …
Angels in dark glasses sit along the edge of the loading dock, swinging their pale legs and waiting.
on marriage …
night time struggle by Carolyn Cordon …
My husband next to me is unaware
of the nightly tussle occurring in our bed –
on chores …
The Day I Don’t Wake Up by Ron Campbell …
I won’t have to pay that bill
Gas up that car
Check that calendar.
on personal grooming …
Mars by Howie Good …
I’ll grow a bald man’s gray ponytail, and the future will be cruel and often difficult,
on budgets …
Divestiture by JP Reese …
It’s much too late to supplicate–
the Volvo goes; Suburban stays.
on interior decoration …
Interior Decoration by Claudia Bierschenk …
I recommend a slinky modern draught.
Let it swirl around the door
on gender …
No Best in Show by Carolyn Cordon …
Who was I to face the trial
of before-school plaiting, with ribbons and things?
on public transport …
The Feast by JP Reese …
Green, red and white banners blaze above narrow streets to announce September’s arrival. Bright posters wave Ciao Baby! Mangia! We plunge into Manhattan’s Indian summer, cash in hand.
on church …
Black Milk by Howie Good …
I wore my funeral suit. The only thing I taught him, the old man said, was how to drink a fifth a day.
on raising children …
Heart Dent by Ron Campbell …
Old soul died young.
Set in your ways by the age of four.
on politics …
The Real Thing by Claudia Bierschenk …
It was pleasantly creepy
to watch older students
run around in gas masks,
on guilty pleasures …
Eraser by Ron Campbell …
I mourn the loss of erasers.
Now we just hit the delete button.
on future …
For Rebecca by JP Reese
The sky denied, today dawns black, not blue.
This is the dark hour of your mother’s song.
