“Your Goddess Characteristics,” “Crater Lake,” “Shade of Night,” and “These Aren’t The Thoughts” by Lawrence Bridges appeared in Issue 41 and can be found here.
We’d love to hear more about this set of poetry.
“Your Goddess Characteristics”
This poem is inspired by Greek mythology and the high regard I hold for women in my Pilates class in Malibu, CA.
“Crater Lake”
Sound is my favorite element in this poem. It’s a substrate that reinforces the mise en scène of the poem (A stunning National Park). I like trying to make the word-flow sound like a fighter jet passing close overhead without the sound of the engine, a cascade of whooshing affirmation and creative excitement the way a jake brake confirms and describes a descending grade.
“Shade of Night”
Here, the first sentence was originally the last sentence.
“These Aren’t The Thoughts”
The idea that our cities were built mostly by deceased forbears is my favorite element of this poem. Also, I love to be in 115 degree dry heat when a nearby air conditioner is working. This happens frequently in Needles, CA and that’s why I don’t live there.
What was the most difficult part in writing this set?
That they work at all as poems. My writing is performative, a one-pass improv that, when I revised a bit, looks like one of my poems.
Recommend a book for us which was published within the last decade.
“A Fire in the Hills” (Red Hen Press, 2023) by Afaa M. Weaver
If you could have a drink with any living author, who would it be? Why?
I’d have a drink with Richard Bausch. (“Peace,” “Hello to the Cannibals), He claims to know 1000 jokes.
What are you working on now? What’s next?
I’m working on my 4th book entitled, “Tunneling Through Daylight.”
Our thanks to Lawrence for taking the time to answer a few questions and share these poems. Read “Your Goddess Characteristics,” “Crater Lake,” “Shade of Night,” and “These Aren’t The Thoughts” here.
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Lawrence Bridges’ poetry has appeared in The New Yorker, Poetry, and The Tampa Review. He has published three volumes of poetry: Horses on Drums (Red Hen Press, 2006), Flip Days (Red Hen Press, 2009), and Brownwood (Tupelo Press, 2016). You can find him on IG: @larrybridges