You must praise the mutilated world - Adam Zagajewski

At twenty six, when lines Have finally hardened around your mouth And your hairline is receding faster than the backwash Of time,

You receive a copy of a poetry magazine With your first poem to go on display, In that bordello district, for the buying public. It’s a love poem whose muse had sold you out At some seedy, half forgotten town, upriver.

So as if to make up for your tentativeness, Your virgin inexperience in the arts of loving And not loving, the kind editor gave you Two new masks, by spelling your name In two different ways - both wrong.

2004:04:24 23:30

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I received two copies of the Spring/Summer 2004 issue of Atlanta Review earlier this evening, and lo behold! it included a poem entitled 'Ballad', which perhaps was written by me. This poem (or drag queen) can be found under the same covers as Billy Collins's (the Poet Laureate of US of A, 2 or 3 years ago) three poems. One can perhaps buy this issue in the Atlanta area bookstores for $6. However I would personally invest my cash more wisely.

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