National Poetry Month Spotlight: Daniele Pantano

Slapstick (H.)

And the disciple mimes
******Delivering a set of keys.

And this is where he crashed,
******Isn’t it?  His face there is

Mine.  Built in 1843.
******And white.  Before black

Milk.  The transition(s).
******And the riots only gulls

Remember.  And bicker.
******And dance.  Some water

Damage.  Odd feature unlocked.
******And space now of loose wallpaper.

Our morning’s final edition(s).
******And fresh fat boils in the kitchen.

Already nothing.
******And nothing is sweeter

Than a future­­––a red door
******With three locks and a loose chain.

Poem first published in Poetry Salzburg Review (2010).

Q: What is your writing process?

A: I watch and listen and think and read a lot, and then I write a bit, so I can read and think and listen and watch again.

Q: Is there an exciting poet (emerging or established) whose work you just discovered this year?

A: Not really, but my poetry students here at Edge Hill University surprise and challenge me every day!

Q: If you could go on a one-week writing retreat anywhere in the world, where would you travel?

A: Sils-Maria, Switzerland.

Daniele Pantano is a Swiss poet, translator, critic, and editor born of Sicilian and German parentage in Langenthal (Canton of Berne). His most recent works include The Possible Is Monstrous: Selected Poems by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, The Oldest Hands in the World, Oppressive Light: Selected Poems by Robert Walser (all from Black Lawrence Press, 2010-12), and Mass Graves (XIX-XXII) (The Knives, Forks and Spoons Press). His forthcoming books include The Collected Works of Georg Trakl (Black Lawrence Press) and Mass Graves: City of Now (The Knives, Forks and Spoons Press). For more information, please visit www.danielepantano.ch

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