Post Confessional
by Ulyses Razo
I am serious when I say poetry is a bad thing.
Let me qualify that.
The poetry in which one begins sadly & remains
sad. Which is to say almost all poetry,
which is to say the kind of poetry
that wins prizes, especially
the Nobel—
When I say poetry is bad it is because I know
the kind of awful comfort
crying harder than you have to
provides. And how that fucks you up.
We poets are a people
crying harder than we have to,
being patted on the back, hearing
someone say
Good, let it out.
Maybe I don’t want to.
Maybe it’s better
if I don’t.
The son of Mexican parents, Ulyses Razo is a graduate from the University of Washington, Seattle. He writes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, film criticism, and is a translator of Spanish language prose and poetry. His work has been published in MORIA, The Metaworker, Life and Legends, and Months to Years. A librarian, he has lived in London and Seattle, and currently resides in the state of Washington.