Here, Bullet by Brian Turner

[kissingdaylight.livejournal.com]

I read this is today's Washington Post with the note "A poem currently being passed around among American soldiers in Iraq."


Here, Bullet
If a body is what you want,
then here is bone and gristle and flesh.
Here is the clavicle-snapped wish,
the aorta's opened valves, the leap
thought makes at the synaptic gap.
Here is the adrenaline rush you crave,
that inexorable flight, that insane puncture
into heat and blood. And I dare you to finish
what you've started. Because here, Bullet,
here is where I complete the word you bring
hissing through the air, here is where I moan
the barrel's cold esophagus, triggering
my tongue's explosives for the rifling I have
inside of me, each twist of the round
spun deeper, because here, Bullet,
here is where the world ends, every time.
        --Brian Turner


I'm encouraging a discussion of this poem over at my journal - if anyone would like to leave their thoughts.

Comments

[kathyunguyen.livejournal.com]

Wow. Totally intense and realistic. Makes me wonder if the poet in question IS a soldier himself. Never heard of him though.

[smallness.livejournal.com]

http://www.alicejamesbooks.org/here_bullet.html

Looks like he did serve in Iraq. Powerful stuff.

[kathyunguyen.livejournal.com]

Neat. Thanks for the website. I've been reading a lot of poetry these days. Gonna check him out.

[kissingdaylight.livejournal.com]

Yes, thank you for that.

[gardenwaltz.livejournal.com]

He is. I had the opportunity to hear him read this poem and it was incredible. He has the poem darn near memorized and gives a very strong reading of it.

[kathyunguyen.livejournal.com]

I love it when poets recite their poetry to the audience and/o add their own dramatic interpretation of it. Luck you!

[kathyunguyen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I thought the same too. I really love it when poets are able to manipulate words that way.

[shadowaria.livejournal.com]

I recently read his whole book in my Contemp Poetry class. There's a lot of good stuff in there, so it's nice to see him here.

[writetothebones.livejournal.com]

gave me chills.

I didn't read it thinking it was about suicide, but I also read the bit about it being passed around soldiers first, so that affected my view as I read through it.

[amaramorgana.livejournal.com]

I had the opportunity to meet him and hear him read his work when my younger sister studied under him a few years ago. He's an amazing writer.