Jason Barry
Metro-North
Glenwood, Irvington, Scarborough, Poughkeepsie.
Weeds on the track,
A hot, hot track.
Up ahead, a kingbird toes the line,
A bald conductor dives into his plum.
Then, with the gas, a lurch—
Wings start to thrash,
Currents in a deep sea of sky.
Dolphin cloud. Coral cloud.
Octopus and crab.
This pressed spirit,
Clawing its way out of the shell.
Jason Barry holds an MFA in Poetry from Boston University. His work has appeared in 32 Poems, Barrow Street, Cimarron Review, Poet Lore, The Cortland Review, and elsewhere. He teaches English at Tsinghua University.
Return to November 2021 Edition
Glenwood, Irvington, Scarborough, Poughkeepsie.
Weeds on the track,
A hot, hot track.
Up ahead, a kingbird toes the line,
A bald conductor dives into his plum.
Then, with the gas, a lurch—
Wings start to thrash,
Currents in a deep sea of sky.
Dolphin cloud. Coral cloud.
Octopus and crab.
This pressed spirit,
Clawing its way out of the shell.
Jason Barry holds an MFA in Poetry from Boston University. His work has appeared in 32 Poems, Barrow Street, Cimarron Review, Poet Lore, The Cortland Review, and elsewhere. He teaches English at Tsinghua University.
Return to November 2021 Edition