footnotes after Lorca
$5
Voices of hollow-point bullets
resounded near Thames at three-
second intervals, tin laughter
ten times heard bonecrackingly.
Old fearful voices surrounding
brown voice of carnation seed.1
__________________________
1 The first time I saw Piccadilly Circus
daring its neons to burn our retinas
of course I thought of my sins
my cindery little sins—a peccadillo
circus—all of them performing
a surprise party like it’s judgment day.
But who’s overseeing the party/trial?
Who’s the lil devil, who’s the tunicked angel
& more importantly which one plays lawyer?
Am I judge, juror, innocent
till proven guilty or dead?
Save your sweaty taxpounds—I’m guilty
of every peccadillo. The only question:
who’ll punish
given their own circuses
given that “Piccadilly” means punctured.
(Menezes &/or Pittella, upon arrival)
published in Ottawa by above/ground press
July 2024
a/g subscribers receive a complimentary copy
Cover art: detail from Lorca’s “Autorretrato en Nueva York,” c. 1930, public domain.
Carlos A. Pittella (he/him) is a Latinx poet & the recipient of a Frontier 2022 Global Poetry Prize. Born on traditional lands of the Tupi & Goitacá (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), he lives in Montréal/Tiohtià:ke. While completing his MA in English/Creative Writing at Concordia University, he co-edited Headlight Anthology with the team who won the 2023 Forces AVENIR award. His writing is haunted by borders, having appeared in places such as Shō, Jacket2, Glyphöria, & The Capilano Review. footnotes after Lorca is his first chapbook in English.
[Carlos A. Pittella will be launching footnotes after Lorca on August 10 as part of the above/ground press 31st anniversary reading, alongside Mahaila Smith, Gil McElroy, Chris Banks, Pearl Pirie and Shane Rhodes; tickets available here]
To order, send cheques (add $1 for postage; in US, add $2; outside North America, add $5) to: rob mclennan, 2423 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa ON K1H 7M9. E-transfer or PayPal at rob_mclennan (at) hotmail.com or the PayPal button at www.robmclennan.blogspot.com
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