A Collection of Failed Escape Routes by Nicholas Arthur
A Collection of Failed Escape Routes 1. A Poem for George (Clinton) 2. A Poem for Fiona (Apple) 3. A Poem for Roy (Orbison) 4. A Poem for Sonny (Rollins) 5. A Poem for PJ (Harvey)
6. A Poem for Courtney (Love) 7. A Poem for Kurt (Cobain) 8. A Poem for Nina (Simone)
9. A Poem for Tim (Kinsella) 10. A Poem for Cecil (Taylor) 11. A Poem for Lou (Reed) 12. A Poem for Jason (Lytle) 13. A Poem for Busdriver 14. A Poem for Bradford (Cox) 15. A Poem for Alice (Coltrane)
A Poem for George Bandaged arms outstretched in earnest. It’s late and there aren’t any new messages.
I’ll drive far tonight, letting the weirdness of Funkadelic’s “Some More” cradle this odd feeling.
1.
A Poem for Fiona Love is daunting and best not expressed in polite company. But I do love you. I do want to set aside
the junk in my heart and let you in. But that would fuck everything up.
2.
A Poem for Roy I’d wait up for you. As long as it takes, flipping through records and watching incense smoke float to the ceiling.
I’d wait up for you. My keys in my coat and no plans. My phone’s pressed to my arm in case I drift off. Useless longing dissolving into dreams.
3.
A Poem for Sonny I read a thin volume of poetry while I ate two clementines, slice by slice. I let another
unemployed day slip by.
4.
A Poem for PJ Polly Jean stomps loud and wild through my room. I lay in bed and try to find new ways to
tell you something. I give up, shutting my phone down and closing my eyes.
5.
A Poem for Courtney There’s a burning anger simmering beneath each slab of noise. There’s a righteousness
in each throat-shredding scream. Wrongs won’t be righted but they will be shouted back. Each painful moment recounted and made known. They’ll talk about you within earshot but they won’t ever forget
your name.
6.
A Poem for Kurt I clench up anytime I think about what she suffered. I get overwhelmed by sadness and anger.
And nothing can be done. Nothing can be changed. To see your art twisted into a soundtrack for abuse by two rapists. To see your art twisted against everything you stood for
must’ve been heartbreaking.
7.
A Poem for Nina It’s OK to be sexual. It’s OK to be political. It’s OK
to feel deeply. It’s OK to be comfortable in your skin.
8.
A Poem for Tim You made me understand that art is a process, not an end. It’s ugly, fucked-up and unseemly but it’s honest.
It’s constant change, making amends and finding better enemies along the way. It’s about taking a beating and still getting up.
9.
A Poem for Cecil Love is in dissonance/resonance chaos/order anger/kindness, decaying to
bloom tall and beautiful once more.
10.
A Poem for Lou My lungs took in cool air as I ran. I could hear the beginning of the weekend:
doors slamming dull against the music, laughter muffled in the distance. I tried to hurry.
11.
A Poem for Jason This lonely feeling follows like a ghost that speaks in whirs and clicks.
It sounds out, rattling the birds off their branches overhead and mice out of their homes below.
12.
A Poem for Busdriver You write like you’re constantly plucking flowers and sticking them in the barrel of a gun. You write like every word
counts, every moment is closer to the end. Like apocalypse is at the door. You swing it open
and greet it with intelligence.
13.
A Poem for Bradford There are no cars on the rain-washed streets tonight as I drive around in circles. Every turn feather-light,
moving on instinct. By 2 a.m. I felt like a weight had shifted off my shoulders as I pulled in the driveway.
14.
A Poem for Alice I was living in the country and feeling like a stranger. I put your album on as loud as
I could stand. Let the heavenly dissonance rush through my frame. It brought me closer to something
otherworldly that defies words.
15.
About Nicholas Arthur is 27 years old and currently lives in Michigan. He is a Wayne State University graduate. Along with poetry he dabbles in music, writing and art. When he is not writing he can be found looking in the bargain bin at the record store, drinking coffee far too late at night, and eating breakfast any time he pleases. He has a cat named Simba.