Two Poems by Oli Hazzard
PN Review 200, July - August 2011
Leaving the City of Acupuncture
Round days undid themselves against us.
Such windows blurred in the precision of their pixels:
How to signify what meant to you? The rain in the windows
Shaving itself new? A face remaking itself
In its own desultory image
Meant more to its landscape than you.
Through the wall of still-
Night air we read Trakl to each other, then spat on our
hands,
Then leaned over the edge of the marina. The moments
Did not absorb us. We could say it again and again,
We told each other, without the meaning ever having to
change
Into something that might once have meant the same. If you are engaged by what you read on our free Substack, do consider subscribing to the magazine. Like all independent literary magazines, PN Review relies on paid subscribers to survive. Subscribers have access to our entire fifty year archive, plus six new issues per year, in print and digital form.
Three Summaries During My Time Here I have learned that activities do not bring us closer together. Retelling an activity creates intimacy more efficiently. Though I understand that killing can be a powerful symbol of friendship, the happiest marriage is only possible when the two parties do nothing together and tell each other everything. In contrast, a healthy father-son relationship is only possible when a) the father is killed in the performance of an act of heroism b) the son is killed in the performance of an act of innocence or c) they are both alive and well, in distant parts of a country, with one or two shared killing-fantasies to bind them together. One of these should involve a prominent politician. The other should involve the colour of the bathroom walls. None of these should overtly address race, gender, or sexuality, though an attitude should be permitted, if sufficiently and, if possible, wittily, concealed. Ambiguity is the cornerstone of a healthy dog-master relationship. During My Time Here I have learned to use the same muscle to care about astronauts flying and to not care about prisoners vomiting. Though I understand that justice can be a powerful symbol of virility, the most satisfying sex is only possible when neither prisoner or guard cares if the other is satisfied. In contrast, a healthy poet-reader relationship is only possible if a) the poet is killed in the performance of an act of communication b) the reader is killed in the performance of an act of understanding or c) they are both alive and well, in distant parts of a country, with one or two shared erotic fantasies to bind them together. One of these should involve a prominent novelist. The other should involve a pile of Christmas cards. None of these should overtly address politics, beauty, or love, though an attitude should be permitted, if sufficiently and, if possible, ingeniously, feigned. Disengagement is the cornerstone of a healthy teacher-student relationship. During My Time Here I have learned to speak about my desires in a way that does not embarrass my friends, family, teachers, students, prisoners, guards and astronauts. Though I understand that listening is a powerful symbol of desire, the ideal audience is only possible when combining neutered pets with archive footage. In contrast, a healthy driver-passenger relationship is only possible if a) the driver is killed in the performance of a swerve to avoid a child b) the passenger is killed in the performance of oral sex upon the driver or c) they are both alive and well, in distant parts of a country, with one or two shared travel fantasies to bind them together. One of these should involve adopting a child. The other should involve several popular songs. None of these should overtly address language, religion, or currency, though an attitude should be permitted, if sufficiently and, if possible, enthusiastically, ill-founded. Ignorance is the cornerstone of a healthy tourist-guide relationship.
These poems by Oli Hazzard are taken from PN Review 200, July - August 2011. Further contributions from Hazzard, including the rest of the poems in this issue, are available in the archive to paying subscribers, as well as more poetry, features, reviews and reports from across the back catalogue.
If you are interested in the work that we publish on this Substack, subscribe to the Carcanet newsletter, where we share articles by our authors, translators and editors about upcoming books.
