Tracks
Image: “Night Train” by Gerrie Paino. “Tracks” was written by Matthew Murrey for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, April 2024, and selected as the Artist’s Choice.
Audio
I’m Convinced You Actually Liked the Whole Wheat Pancakes
Remember the first apartment we chose? When it was time
for us to finally live together and we had to find something fast
and imperfect. With the landlord who barged in every time we were too
loud—I think she had an 8 p.m. bedtime.
Close Call
I’m still not sure I really saw the car—shiny red
on a day that was a long green nap—go airborne.
The Wild Animal
‘The Wild Animal’ comes out of a project I worked on during the summer of 2008, in which I made myself write at least one ‘poem’ every day and I didn’t allow myself to look back or revise until I had reached 200.
Insult to Injury
I find an old air gun
and a can of ammo
down in the basement
in a cardboard moving box,
along with some other stuff,
flotsam from previous lives.