“Opus Four Three” is another political poem; I don’t know if readers at journals are more interested in political poems lately or if I’m giving deeper attention to the state of things, but one of my other most-recent publications was also political.
And a current draft piece is also political.
“Opus Four Three” approaches the politics from what I hope is an obvious place of playfulness, but playfulness used to conceal real concern and some measure of bitterness toward the people who make choices that hurt people.
We all do that, of course, some of us to greater degrees than others. We do it without thinking, or with unhealthy thinking, or with a thinking that justifies a decision we know is in no one’s best interest.
I think the poem, though, is born from a belief that some people make hurtful choices on purpose. As if the hurt is the reason for the choice, and not an aftershock or collateral damage. So in the poem, they’ve got crocodiles to deal with.
If you read it, you’ll understand: my apologies to the good people of Florida. I know you’re down there. Somewhere.
Jason Kahler 