"Siesta" by Spencer Reece

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend May 30, 2019   Siesta   Spencer Reece

Oh people not mine what is it we can hear the old custodian coddles the tin box in the empty church the ex-monk clips his lime tree just so my soiled skin flensed from my uniform Jesus said to them oh ye of little faith Ayamonte is golden the sun rakes over us meticulous and slow a mutt with cataracts licks its parts ticking Portugal lies exposed on her soft cheap cot passive and docile unlike that bull that is Spain the sea's lips scold me in that Spanish way gentle and yet firm nothing here is mine            Copyright © 2019 Spencer Reece. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on May 30, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets. About This Poem   "I began this poem in the south of Spain one hot summer day, in a little town called Ayamonte. Siesta is such a religious sacrosanct act here in Spain and I wanted to memorialise it. Also my poetic Spanish hero Antonio Machado wrote a poem once with this title, and I think of him so often here and wonder what he'd think of Spain now so I wanted to summon him to my table." —Spencer Reece   Spencer Reece is the author of two poetry collections: The Road to Emmaus (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014) and The Clerk's Tale (Mariner Books, 2003). He is the founder of the Unamuno Author Series, and an ordained Episcopal priest who works for the Bishop of the Spanish Episcopal Church. He lives in Madrid, Spain. Photo Credit: Rosanne Olsen Poetry by Reece   The Road to Emmaus (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014) "Romance Sonambulo" by Federico García Lorca "The Sky Over My Mother's House" by Jaime Manrique "Lunch Break" by Francisco Aragón May Guest Editor: Victoria Chang   Thanks to Victoria Chang, author of Barbie Chang (Copper Canyon Press, 2017), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month's weekdays. Read a Q&A with Chang about her curatorial approach this month and find out more about our guest editors for the year. 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