The fourth installment of “Bushwick Bohemia Beat Poetry” curated by Bushwick-born poet, Emanuel Xavier, is here for your reading pleasure. The series features poems by local Bushwick residents and/or natives. This month’s poem comes from Chris Nold.
If you would like to be featured next month, send two to three poems (10 pages max) to [email protected] with the subject “Bushwick Bohemia Beat Poetry Submission.”
Poems should be attached as Word documents, 10 point, Times New Roman font, double spaced and set up as they should appear on the site if selected. Please include a brief 3-5 sentence bio and your personal relation to Bushwick with your current mailing address for verification. If submitting previously published work, please include appropriate publication credits. You’ll only receive an email if your poem is selected for publication.
Submissions are due on the first of every month, and the selected entry will be published in the final week of the following month.
Poems can be about anything at all, but contributors must currently live within the Bushwick area or have been born and/or raised in the neighborhood.
Featured image by Andrey Larin on Unsplash.
reverse commuter #3 (5′ 1″)
by Chris Nold
it’s not her fault really
throwing out the toothbrush left behind
she speaks i think it’s russian
comes by once a month
how could she have known
unsteady weightless
i need to get some air
sidewalk closed use pedestrian walkway
feeling stuck
like the birds of grand central
overslept if at all
waking up in shoes i didn’t leave wearing
front door ajar keys tbd
suburban bound new haven lined
im the screen swiping through forensics they’ve estimated
the height of christ and i’m sure we all
look at ourselves how does one
process something like that
it appears i tried to pay someone last night
via venmo for the way we used to be
transaction denied
trash
today just as last week google my name + obituary
no relevant results try it for yourself
curious there were four for hers
that’s a new way of looking at this
none of them were her of course
there’s still a possibility anything could happen
a delusion carried with me like the toothbrush
in my luggage fished from the trash
google search dental practices old judea
next stop mamaroneck
A Brooklyn transplant nigh on 5 years, Chris is a self-published poet and artist who can be found on the rooftops of Bushwick, sharpening his craft and keeping the neighborhood safe. His collections of poetry can be found on Amazon and be sure to check him out on Facebook for updates on upcoming projects and performances.