Matthew Guenette’s
first book, Sudden Anthem, won the 2007 American Poetry Journal Book Prize from Dream Horse Press.
His poems have appeared in a number of journals, most recently the VS. Anthology (from Press 53), Evergreen Review, The Toronto Quarterly, and T he New Anonymous.
He lives and works in Madison, WI.
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Prologue
There were serious fly problems
out by the dumpsters.
It became
a revealing situation.
The managers
decided to hang jars
with this rainbow liquid inside.
The flies would fly in,
experience a cold
night of reality,
then die.
But not right away.
There was time
for fantastic fly orgies—
layers of flies screwing
over layers of flies dying
over layers
of creamy maggots
who were thinking
God-knows-what.
Worse was to imagine
smashing those jars
but the possibility
excited every busboy’s thoughts.
In the meantime
as the jars filled
the management explained
holes would have to be dug—
at least three feet deep.
This according
to some ordinance or something.
It was suggested later
that burying the jars
was a metaphysical demonstration—
Like a manager’s sense
of humor
or the inevitable failures
of attempts at closure.
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