Old Lyme Rhyme

Spencer Reece

I lift up my eyesin the Big Y aislewhere is my helpwhere is my helpin the check outwith our couponsmy father rantsabout Republicansmy mother´s teeththe color of wormsher greasy hairin a topknotit´s a small rentalher second-handwheelchair smellslike a compost heapwe eat mealsdelivered in blackplastic the sea saysdon´t think twiceor does it say youcannot do this twicethe cranberry lightdices Connecticuttints the blue bermsa buoy bell chimesSt. Ann´s steeplesplices a sky the colorof a crawl spacemy mother urinatesinto a commodeon Mile Creek Roadthe liquid drums downon the plastic bucketlike a rain squallthe bureaucrat saysthey´re on the listto be dissectedfor free and couldwe press threefor Social Securityif we wanted a boxin wood or plasticthe prices variedsaltbox houses lockedtight Yankee thriftwhere the librariansmells like mothballson Lyme Streetand say Oh that´s nicethe estuary shiftswith awls and tit miceswitch grass sea myrtlemarsh elder glasswortsweet pepper bushaustere Connecticutmy mysterious stateremote and elegantnext door lesbiansmy mother saidwere not lesbianswere swept into urnsAudrey and BeeAudrey and Bee

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Photo of Spencer Reece
Photo:
Luis Gaspar

Reece has authored two books of poetry, The Clerk´s Tale, selected by Louise Gluck for the Bakeless Prize, & The Road to Emmaus, long-listed for the National Book Award. He edited the bilingual anthology of poems, Counting Time Like People Count Stars: Poetry by the Girls of Our Little Roses San Pedro Sula, Honduras., He founded the Unamuno Author Series in Madrid, Spain. He worked as a chaplain in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and was canon to the ordinary in Madrid, Spain, for nearly a decade. In 2020, he became the priest-in-charge at St. Mark’s/San Marcos, an Episcopal church in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, New York, called by the New York Times, “the most diverse neighborhood in the world.” He was invited to reopen the parish after the former priest died of Covid19. At St. Mark’s he founded the Red Door series incorporating meditation and poetry. The series has since spread to other churches across the United States and Canada.

Adroit Journal Issue 38

38

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Peter LaBerge

Managing Editor
Garrett Biggs

Executive Editor
Heidi Seaborn

Poetry Editors
Emily Cinquemani
Kate Gaskin
Lisa Hiton
Wayne Johns
Talin Tahajian

The Adroit Journal was founded in November 2010 by poet Peter LaBerge. At its foundation, the journal has its eyes focused ahead, seeking to showcase what its global staff of emerging writers sees as the future of poetry, prose, and art.

Recently featured in Best American Poetry, Pushcart Prizes: Best of the Small Presses, Poetry Daily, Best of the Net, Best New Poets, Verse Daily, The New York Times, The Paris Review, Teen Vogue, and NPR, the journal has featured the voices of Terrance Hayes, Franny Choi, D. A. Powell, Alex Dimitrov, Lydia Millet, NoViolet Bulawayo, Ocean Vuong, Ned Vizzini, Fatimah Asghar, Danez Smith, and beyond.

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