"Necromance," a Poem by Brendan Joyce
From the Collection Personal Problem
The only thing the dead are good for
to a fascist is voting. As the world gets more
expensive the people get cheaper. I do not name
my dead; the boys I flirted with while they beat
me, the girls who played connect the dots
with my freckles with a boxcutter, the doorman
or the line cook or the canvasser. Even in death
they had jobs to name them. I try to name them
without their violence, polite redactions, policy
choices. I try to demystify their mystical
functions & classifications. When I am dead
do not name me in relation to capital I will
be wageless & worthless & perfect.
______________________________
From Personal Problem by Brendan Joyce. Copyright © 2023. Published by Grieveland Poetry Press.
Brendan Joyce
Brendan Joyce is a poet, teacher and essayist, from Cleveland, Ohio who has had his poetry featured in The Johannesburg Review of Books, The Brooklyn Rail, Protean Magazine, Prolit, waxnine and The Reservoir. He is the author of three books of poetry; Character Limit (2019), Love & Solidarity (2020), and Personal Problem (2023), as well as a forthcoming memoir surplus years. Along with Kevin Latimer he organizes Grieveland Poetry Press.
