Civilian by Jared Stanley

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend January 11, 2017   Civilian   Jared Stanley

All was permitted you. Rooted out as a misfire or somebody's chance smudge stabbed into a satisfied mind,   your face was feathered in spittle. Go ahead, lick it off! Be an air-swiped flag. Every single strange example's A blast, a test of evidence.   What if we had known then we could bloom a flame like this? Our forthright behavior our stolen valor   Stick Fighting, Knife Fighting, and Home Defense. Every now and then Wind works your ear but these facts are never reported.   I hate the song. I know all the words.            Copyright © 2017 Jared Stanley. Used with permission of the author. About This Poem   "I wrote this one driving out to the Desatoyas, a mountain range in the Great Basin. Listening to AM radio, I'd pull over and take notes or write down phrases. It's quiet out there, except for the wind and the fighter jets." —Jared Stanley   Jared Stanley is the author of Ears (Nightboat Books, 2017). He lives in Reno, Nevada.       Poetry by Stanley   Ears (Nightboat Books, 2017) "Coming and Going" by Tony Hoagland "Radio, Radio" by Ben Doller "Radio Love Poem" by Alison Townsend Poem-a-Day   Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-a-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038