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The Brooklyn Rail

JUNE 2024

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JUNE 2024 Issue
Poetry

Nathan Kernan


Cons



Both of the closets are in the foyer.
One of the bathrooms is very small and on the lower level.
The kitchen is small.
The deck needs power-washing.


The subway is a nine-minute walk.
The property is close to busy North Hempstead Turnpike.
The kitchen is dated. The pool needs repair.
Most of the windows face nearby buildings.


Potential buyers with young children may be uncomfortable with the ponds.
The upstairs bath is shared.
Some may not like the large natural rock formation incorporated into the finished lower
level.
The perpetual lap pool and weight room are directly off the main living room.


Some may be bothered by occasional sirens.
The spiral staircase is tight.
A kitchen fireplace takes up a lot of space.
Some of the interior colors could be updated. Storage space is lacking.


The living room is curved on one side, which could make redecorating a challenge.
The large room on the lower level is not a legal bedroom.
A hilly rock formation obscures the view of the house from the street.
The windows look onto a roof.


The bedrooms don’t have closets.
The back yard is somewhat plain.
Pets are not allowed.
Outdoor space is minimal.


The kitchen and master bedroom windows face each other.
One bedroom does not have a closet. The backyard is small and sloped.
The entry hallway is not very functional.
The bathroom is small and can be reached only through the bedroom.


The office lacks a door. The third floor is unfinished.
The fireplaces don’t work.
All bedrooms share a bath.
There is a driveway but no garage.









Music of doubts



and hesitations caress
the cranium plunge
and ripple inward
the simplest question
opens its petals
again
moonlight pits the
steps a new blue
has been invented/discovered
a roundelay circles
back the raised torch
illumines the cave
O wonder









Snow opera



adieu material obsessions
swept from the path
phone date with generous
E on day of gladitorial
absurdity over


immobile and stuporous
page after page of colored
pills to produce
beautiful feelings we
speak and think in
states of margot


contemplate pink betrayals



Contributor

Nathan Kernan

Nathan Kernan is the author of the chapbook Lunch (Pressed Wafer, 2007), and Poems, a collaboration with Joan Mitchell (Tyler Graphics, 1992). His biography of James Schuyler will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2025.

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The Brooklyn Rail

JUNE 2024

All Issues