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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


AFTER IKKYU: 55 by JAMES HARRISON

Poet Analysis

First Line: I ONCE THOUGHT THAT LIFE'S WHAT'S LEFT OVER AFTER
Last Line: ON THE VIPER'S TAIL. EVERY GUN IS LOADED AND COCKED.

I once thought that life's what's left over after
I extricate myself from the mess. I was writing a poem
about paying attention and microwaved a hot dog
so hot it burned a beet-red hole in the roof of my mouth.
Lucrezia Borgia got shit on her fingers by not paying
attention. Chanting a sutra, the monk stepped fatally
on the viper's tail. Every gun is loaded and cocked.



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