POETRY : KING & QUEEN by Edward Gunawan
Edward Gunawan’s debut collection of poetry–the Start A Riot! Chapbook Prize winning The Way Back–is out from Foglifter Press in early November. To help us continue our genuine love parade for this collection of work, Gunawan was kind enough to record one of our favorite pieces–”King & Queen”.
You can and should give it a listen below.
But first, read Anna Laura Reeve’s glowing review of the book.
Or check out Issue 69 of The Racket Journal where it briefly landed.
Pre-order The Way Back from Foglifter Press.
King & Queen
Edward Gunawan
Once i wrote a story
about a boy obsessed with
chopsticks, wheels on bikes
and a solitary shoe
Spending an entire afternoon
hunting behind bushes
and under park benches
for its missing match
For all things come
in pairs, do they not?
Like keys to locks
and pussies to cocks
When Jake and i
moved into this house,
i brought with us
boxes from our old apartment
seven thousand miles away
so we won’t spend even more
than we already had to
Which was how I found myself
awaking that first morning
in a brand-new king bed
and the faded queen-sized sheet
curling at the bottom of my feet
as much as I try to
stretch the band
over and around
I can’t quite make it fit
No sir, no, it simply won’t fit
