poetry


Brendan A. McGrath
Ghetto Sunrise


Gabriel Olearnik
Paula, sed ferox


Gabriel Olearnik
Parfum


Gabriel Olearnik
Hephaestus


Amanda Glass
Shriven


Matthew Mehan
Before Nebuchadnezzar


Joseph O'Brien
The Gargoyles Return


Ian Van Heusen
at the destruction of the body


Eric Kingsepp
Draining the Marshes


Mike Mangione
Be Not Afraid


Cristina A. Montes
The Carp


John A. Di Camillo
Numbers


Back to Advent/Christmas 2007

Parfum
Monsieur. If you will allow
The abattoir is open now.

Observe, the noble cadavers are arrayed
in states of flayed and dismembered dignity.
Yes, that was a living soul once.
Yes, those are real hooks!

The bouquet of heated zinc
That is blood—the alloy of flesh and water
A fine companion to the Merlot
Let me refresh your glass.

Do not be afraid.
You can touch.
Yes, corpse fauna
Blowfly and necrophorus beetles
They eat each other—
Alors 
look at the fat one tussle!
A greedy ruck for that bite of cheekbone.

It is so
artistic

(Guilt is just a word)

It is so
daring

(Debauch is meaningless)
.
Provocative

Anything to still the yawns.


Anything.

—Gabriel Olearnik

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Gabriel Olearnik studied medieval history at University College London. He is currently an attorney and practices corporate law.