Fleurs du Mal Magazine
Wild nights
– Wild nights!
Wild nights – Wild nights!
Were I with thee
Wild nights should be
Our luxury!
Futile – the winds –
To a Heart in port –
Done with the Compass –
Done with the Chart!
Rowing in Eden –
Ah – the Sea!
Might I but moor – tonight –
In thee!
Emily Dickinson
(1830—1886)
Wild nights – Wild nights!
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A Memory
I see her yet, that dark-eyed one,
Whose bounding heart God folded up
In His, as shuts when day is done,
Upon the elf the blossom’s cup.
On many an hour like this we met,
And as my lips did fondly greet her,
I blessed her as love’s amulet:
Earth hath no treasure, dearer, sweeter.
The stars that look upon the hill,
And beckon from their homes at night,
Are soft and beautiful, yet still
Not equal to her eyes of light.
They have the liquid glow of earth,
The sweetness of a summer even,
As if some Angel at their birth
Had dipped them in the hues of Heaven.
They may not seem to others sweet,
Nor radiant with the beams above,
When first their soft, sad glances meet
The eyes of those not born for love;
Yet when on me their tender beams
Are turned, beneath love’s wide control,
Each soft, sad orb of beauty seems
To look through mine into my soul.
I see her now that dark-eyed one,
Whose bounding heart God folded up
In His, as shuts when day is done,
Upon the elf the blossom’s cup.
Too late we met, the burning brain,
The aching heart alone can tell,
How filled our souls of death and pain
When came the last, sad word, Farewell!
Adah Isaacs Menken
(1835 – 1868)
A Memory
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Water
The water understands
Civilization well;
It wets my foot, but prettily,
It chills my life, but wittily,
It is not disconcerted,
It is not broken-hearted:
Well used, it decketh joy,
Adorneth, doubleth joy:
Ill used, it will destroy,
In perfect time and measure
With a face of golden pleasure
Elegantly destroy.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1803 – 1882)
Water
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This little bag
This little bag I hope will prove
To be not vainly made–
For, if you should a needle want
It will afford you aid.
And as we are about to part
T’will serve another end,
For when you look upon the Bag
You’ll recollect your friend
Jane Austen
(1775 – 1817)
This little bag
Poem
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Rachel Long’s much-anticipated debut collection of poems, My Darling from the Lions, explores shame, love and healing through her intimate poetic voice.
Shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize / the Costa Poetry Award / the Forward Prize for Best First Collection / the Jhalak Prize
British poet Rachel Long’s poems are so razor-sharp and witty that they stand out from the first line. Long is also founder of the Octavia Collective for Womxn of Colour (a ‘community-minded’ collective where women of color can safely (learn to) write poetry, a response to the lack of inclusivity within literature and the academy).
She debuted two years ago with the impressive collection My darling from the lions. This collection was nominated for five different poetry awards and was named one of the 100 must-read books of 2021 by TIME.
There is a vibrancy to her narrative poems that is extraordinary to find in a text; with dizzying precision, Long describes humorous, sensual and surreal scenes.
Sometimes, as a reader, you recognize yourself in the candid, uncomfortable moments Long shares; sometimes, on the contrary, the scenes are alienating. However, Long has a talent for making that alienation come across naturally nonetheless.
The collection can be described as a coming-of-age story, in which the speaker survives a tumultuous childhood and adolescence only to find himself in the confusing maze called adulthood.
Rachel Long creates relatable, human work that is sure to leave an impression that is sure to leave an impression long after she has once again traded the Rotterdam stage of Poetry International for her native London.
Long reveals herself as a razor-sharp and original voice on the issues of sexual politics and cultural inheritance that polarize our current moment. But it’s her refreshing commitment to the power of the individual poem that will leave the reader turning each page in eager anticipation: here is an immediate, wide-awake poetry that entertains royally, without sacrificing a note of its urgency or remarkable skill.
OPEN
This morning she told me
I sleep with my mouth open
and my hands in my hair.
I say, What, Mum, like screaming?
She says, No, baby, like abandon.
Rachel Long is a poet and the founder of Octavia Poetry Collective for Women of Colour, which is housed at Southbank Centre in London. My Darling from the Lions, first published by Picador in 2020, is her debut collection. She was born in London, and resides there today.
My Darling from the Lions:
Poems
by Rachel Long (Author)
Publisher: Tin House Books
Publication date: September 21, 2021
Language: English
Print length: 88 pages
ISBN-10: 1951142713
ISBN-13: 978-1951142711
Paperback
$14.98
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Haiku
After killing
a spider, how lonely I feel
in the cold of night!
Masaoka Shiki
(1867-1902)
Haiku
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From 12 to 15 June 2025, be inspired by Poet Laureates from all over the world! Poetry International presents the very first Poetry Summit, curated in collaboration with Poet of the Netherlands Babs Gons.
This anniversary edition of the festival brings together a line-up of only the most acclaimed voices, awarded with the highest (inter)national distinctions.
As representatives of their country, they will take part in lectures, discussions, workshops, interviews, debates and performances. So be there during this special anniversary edition, where the most influential voices will unite for once to celebrate the 55th anniversary of Poetry International Festival.
During the festival, the Declaration of future poetry generations will also be written and presented: a document on the importance of poetry, intended to secure its future for next generations.
Poets: Warsan Shire (United Kingdom) / Jean D’Amérique (Haiti) / Diana Anphimiadi (Georgia) / Simon Armitage (United Kingdom) / Kwame Dawes (Jamaica) / Maricela Guerrero (Mexico) / Alysia Nicole Harris (USA) / Patricia Jabbeh Wesley (Liberia) / Tom Lanoye (Belgium) / Luljeta Lleshanaku (Albania) / Momtaza Mehri (United Kingdom) / Nadia Mifsud (Malta) / Ramsey Nasr (Netherlands) / Derek Otte (Netherlands) / Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer (Netherlands) / Esther Phillips (Barbados) / Astrid Roemer (Netherlands) / Ian Sanborn (USA) / Chris Tse (New Zealand) / Lyuba Yakimchuk (Ukraine)
More information on:
♦ Website 55th Poetry International Festival Rotterdam
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