April 3: “Banquette” and “Next” by Dan Chiasson

The title of Dan Chiasson’s third collection is drawn from a child’s improvised game of “Where’s the moon, there’s the moon”—a phrase that captures our early apprehension of the pain of loss and the joy of recovery, and the games of anticipation and desire we continue to play as adults.  Today we offer two short sections from “Satellites,” a multi-part poem about our place in time and space.

The satellite that crisscrossed the sky
one day encountered gravity—
the moment it hit the water
it was in a different documentary.

So why would I give it a thought
what you do all night in your apartment
when you’re mine on the street
and mine, now, in this suede banquette?

5. Next

If you can orbit the planet, why can’t you see
what makes the human heart happy?
Is it art or is it sex?
Or is it, as I suspect, just keeping going

from next thing to next thing
to next thing to next thing
to next to next to next to next
pulsating stupidly to outlast time?

Learn more about Where’s the Moon, There’s the Moon

Dan Chiasson will be in Concord, MA on April 11th; full details here

Read more selections from this title