Slapstick (H.)
And the disciple mimes
******Delivering a set of keys.
And this is where he crashed,
******Isn’t it? His face there is
Mine. Built in 1843.
******And white. Before black
Milk. The transition(s).
******And the riots only gulls
Remember. And bicker.
******And dance. Some water
Damage. Odd feature unlocked.
******And space now of loose wallpaper.
Our morning’s final edition(s).
******And fresh fat boils in the kitchen.
Already nothing.
******And nothing is sweeter
Than a future––a red door
******With three locks and a loose chain.
Poem first published in Poetry Salzburg Review (2010).
Q: What is your writing process?
A: I watch and listen and think and read a lot, and then I write a bit, so I can read and think and listen and watch again.
Q: Is there an exciting poet (emerging or established) whose work you just discovered this year?
A: Not really, but my poetry students here at Edge Hill University surprise and challenge me every day!
Q: If you could go on a one-week writing retreat anywhere in the world, where would you travel?
A: Sils-Maria, Switzerland.
Daniele Pantano is a Swiss poet, translator, critic, and editor born of Sicilian and German parentage in Langenthal (Canton of Berne). His most recent works include The Possible Is Monstrous: Selected Poems by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, The Oldest Hands in the World, Oppressive Light: Selected Poems by Robert Walser (all from Black Lawrence Press, 2010-12), and Mass Graves (XIX-XXII) (The Knives, Forks and Spoons Press). His forthcoming books include The Collected Works of Georg Trakl (Black Lawrence Press) and Mass Graves: City of Now (The Knives, Forks and Spoons Press). For more information, please visit www.danielepantano.ch.
