17 May 2007 | Vol. 7, No. 1

In Another Country.

Right now, a relative you never knew

rides across a desert in the bull's eye

of a gun. His and your language is no longer

for everyone. Each image it shapes wiggles

like a mirage, each lover you encounter

squiggles away like a question. Which inflection

masks what he risks in that other country?

Which sight captures the tone of his potential

loss despite the proper lens? Perhaps

those who have the words stay behind

their eyes, fashioning whose ends make more

sense. Will it matter when his rifle glints

at his enemy like a shot flashing on a bar

before its taking, before they shoot each other

into what's beyond? Right now, that relative is

living for now. In terror. But don't sweat

it. Really. Remember? You may never learn

he was your brother and without that knowledge,

how could one's words ever intend to play?

About the author:

Kevin Stoy will soon receive his MFA in poetry from George Mason University. His poems have most recently appeared in Eucalyptus, Triplopia, and Stirring. He will be teaching again this spring at the University of Michigan's New England Literature Program.

For further reading:

See the complete list of work by Kevin Stoy at 42opus. Browse the contents of 42opus Vol. 7, No. 1, where "In Another Country." ran on May 17, 2007. List other work with these same labels: poetry.

42opus is an online magazine of the literary arts.

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