Stay, Illusion

I first read Lucie Brock-Broido in Poetry magazine a few years back.  It was the issue that published the poem “Extreme Wisteria” (first link below) from this collection, Stay, Illusion. From the first …

The Last Payphone In America

This cafeteria, one of America’s loneliest inventions. Scavenger types everywhere, bald heads, pointed chins, they pay for their seat, but sometimes with no more than a cup of black coffee. …

The Teacher

I said, You have answers. I was trying to explain why I had stayed behind when everyone had gone. I said, I’m looking for answers. Yes, perhaps. Perhaps… I have …

What’s Wrong With The Baby?

My wife thinks our new house is haunted.  The baby, six months old, screams all night in his nursery.  Nothing soothes him.  She wants to move, she just won’t say …

The Big, Blue Empty

Translucent day, picnic on the lawn. Lying back on a blanket, I hold the baby up in the air over the big, blue empty. There’s an aura around him as …

This Is America Now

My recently estranged wife’s sister is cutting my hair. Her little sister, the youngest. The top sheet she’s covered me with has superhero puppies on it. It belongs to one …