The Apostrophe Blog
Qarrtsiluni published my poem, “I started near the far north. Ran.” in their Fragments issue back in 2012. Their call for submissions requested “in the wild” creations more than overly crafted pieces so that’s what I sent in!
Qarrtsiluni (2005-2013) was a groundbreaking online literary magazine, one of the first to fully exploit blog software. It offered electronic delivery of original poetry, prose, and art, organized into regular, themed issues, with a new post every weekday. The title comes from an Iñupiaq word that means “sitting together in the darkness, waiting for something to burst.” Per their website: “Though we never quite realized our dream of creating a print-on-demand option for each issue, being online does mean that our back issues remain accessible indefinitely, so there’s that. And we published some damn fine stuff — check it out.”
My poem is below.
I started near the far north. Ran.
Cowardice to woo exposure most permanent.
The full scatter of scanty toward heaven.
Certainties annulled: object, verb, noun.
Shroud over sense. Strange less lenient.
Fire and weep—the raiment for all nights.
So many truths gathered and within each yes.
Illicitness the final occupation.
I started near the far north. Ran.
The public domain photograph above is of fragments of a 9th-10th century bowl excavated in Iran, Nishapur. It is in the Islamic Art collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art collection.
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