THE ISSUE OF RATTLE
I enjoy reading the issue
of Rattle with all my friends in it
until I realize this issue
of Rattle has all my friends in it
and not me; it’s like a party
they all threw, and it’s not
like they didn’t invite me, it’s more
like they invited me to submit up to four poems,
then considered the entry for several months,
then said no. Still, these poems
are wonderful, sharp lines
of loveliness, you talent-laden fuckers.
Maybe I’ll send
this poem to Rattle
and they’ll love it so much
that there won’t be room for
any other poems. I hope not.
My friends are so beautiful, I
love the world I get to see
through their brilliant fucking eyes.
—from Rattle #80, Summer 2023
__________
Matt Mason: “My favorite poem is one that, at first, makes me wonder if it’s a poem. I love a poem written because that’s what the poet wanted to write and they didn’t worry if it fit the mold or definition or what they were lectured a poem is supposed to be. Not that we shouldn’t study the traditions and forms and histories, but poems like that shine for me: they have surprise, coming in disguises instead of the formal suit or gown we all thought they were supposed to wear back when they were set in front of us in high school. These are the poems that, had they been set in front of me in high school, would have gotten me on fire for poetry years earlier.” (web)
