And though I say here sorrow beguiles me
I lose no sleep;
and though I say our country’s journey is one long rigmarole
its villages and ridges are succulent and sweet;
and though I say here “Watch me now! Watch me!”
truly I’m shy as stage curtains, demure as tiny cups of espresso;
and though I quote Wordsworth, Zagajewski, and Dao
I come from gunshots and beatdowns, raw and dirty:
The day was mild, the light was generous;
and though I’ve said in the past: I wear / September on my face, /
which is eternal, I treasure, too, June mornings soaked
in song, July’s fevered cauldron wilting us like seared spinach;
Points of Clarification
Major Jackson
Major Jackson is the author of five books of poetry, including The Absurd Man (2020), Roll Deep (2015), Holding Company (2010), Hoops (2006) and Leaving Saturn (2002). He serves as the Poetry Editor of The Harvard Review.