Sophie Klahr
Last Attempt
My friend’s husband kills himself in their shed.
His note of leaving tells her not to look;
she does not look. Kansas, late November;
the sky is green. She tells me of the grounds-
keepers, standing at a distance, watching
her dig his grave. Each year, she raised monarchs
in milkweed jars on their kitchen table.
For years now, I have been trying to do
this story justice. The only Yiddish
proverb I recall addresses knowing
when to shut your mouth. The snow drifts in waves,
a code against the face of my motel.
The only Yiddish proverb I recall
addresses knowing when to shut your mouth.
Sophie Klahr is the author of the poetry collections Two Open Doors in a Field, Meet Me Here at Dawn, and the collaborative prose work There Is Only One Ghost in the World, written alongside Corey Zeller. Her writing may be found in places such as The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, Poetry London, and elsewhere. She lives in Los Angeles.
Return to January 2024 Edition
My friend’s husband kills himself in their shed.
His note of leaving tells her not to look;
she does not look. Kansas, late November;
the sky is green. She tells me of the grounds-
keepers, standing at a distance, watching
her dig his grave. Each year, she raised monarchs
in milkweed jars on their kitchen table.
For years now, I have been trying to do
this story justice. The only Yiddish
proverb I recall addresses knowing
when to shut your mouth. The snow drifts in waves,
a code against the face of my motel.
The only Yiddish proverb I recall
addresses knowing when to shut your mouth.
Sophie Klahr is the author of the poetry collections Two Open Doors in a Field, Meet Me Here at Dawn, and the collaborative prose work There Is Only One Ghost in the World, written alongside Corey Zeller. Her writing may be found in places such as The New Yorker, American Poetry Review, Poetry London, and elsewhere. She lives in Los Angeles.
Return to January 2024 Edition