from the ether
On the prose poem, part 2
DMQ Review proudly presents our second all-prose poem issue, Spring 2022. You’ll find remarkable poems from a diverse group of poets, American and international, from long-time practitioners to less familiar voices.
We experienced an enthusiastic, even overwhelming, response to this call for prose poems proving once more that prose poetry remains a thriving, dynamic literary pursuit. We’re very excited to bring these voices to the page. And we’re equally proud to present the work of generous Australian illustrator, artist, and creative thinker, Jim Tsinganos. I’m sure you’ll agree that his stunning images are particularly well-suited to this adventurous issue. Check out more about Jim and his works, including a visual diary, at his website.
We are especially moved to include new work from poet Cecilia Woloch, currently serving as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Rzeszów in Poland, a country bordering Ukraine and now flooded with immigrants from the war. We invite you to read her recent newsletter for a remarkable and necessary point of view. She also offers ways to support this devastated country. As she writes, “And whoever thought we'd be living through such a moment in history?”
Such moments are the stuff of poetry, a way of finding a way.
What makes for a good prose poem? It occurs to me that our editorial team—Mary Donnelly, Ume Ali, Anne Cheilek, and Hilary King—might say this best. So, I’ve put together my own prose poem, a cento comprised solely of comments they made while reviewing these submissions. I call it, “Editorial Rhapsody Cento,” below. I think their remarks go a long way toward expressing a working definition, most appropriately, in prose poem style!
editorial rhapsody cento
gleanings from this issue’s editorial comments
Language, images, and mystery, the kind of poem I want to read over and over, picking up new things every time. I laughed out loud at the turn. Imagery and wisdom. A tight smart cube of a poem. Beautiful and profound, and eminently re-readable. The sonic play, the attention to the shape and taste of consonants in my mouth. I'm a big fan. Ambitious language play in all of these. The smooth flow of all the quirky imagery. Moving and witty. The first line is especially strong. The juxtapositions are just brilliant.
I even just love the visual look of it—the perfect box. Great language and a joy to read. Imaginative and quirky at times, without being overly silly (just the kind of random trivia one can expect to find in prose poems). A very entertaining poem with surprising insight into the human condition. Unexpected epiphanies. It holds up for me after multiple readings, retains a lovely mystery. It takes some unexpected metaphorical turns. Keeps audience engaged right up to the great last line. And this line blew me away: A gut punch of a poem. Feels honest without being cliched. Weird but intriguing. Its use of repetition throughout to make it feel like more than a short short story. They appear to be quite simple, but the more you pore over them, the more they unfold layers. I love the quirky, dark humor vibe. They fizz with energy. The language is tight and the ideas, intriguing. A heady (I mean giddy and impetuous, not cerebral) mix of liturgy and dystopian science fiction. SO damn good.
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While we do regret that we weren’t able to include every worthy prose poem sent our way for this issue, we are encouraged by your work. Keep writing! Submissions remain closed for the present, but please stay tuned to our monthly Virtual Salon Series—7 minute readings from new books of poetry—as well as the Fall 2022 Craft Essay issue.
Again we at DMQ Review end these musings with “Stay safe,” echoing across these past two years over a variety of unimagined dangers. Stay safe; stay informed; stay in poetry; stay active. Stay brave.
from the Ether, and our brilliant editorial team,
Sally Ashton
Editor-in-Chief
“In such dark times, we all need to shine” Cecilia Woloch