Tuesday, March 27, 2007


My friend and fellow UNL alum Hadara Bar-Nadav's new collection of poems is now alive and conquering. It's called A Glass of Milk to Kiss Goodnight.

If you don't already know her work, here is an example of why you should go buy a copy of this book for yourself and another copy for each of your friends, family members, and acquaintances. This particular poem was first published here at OSU, in The Journal 29.2 (2005).

[NOTE: Thanks to my brother, I have corrected the formating problems.]

NIGHT WITH WINGS

A fairy drowning
in a glass of milk
and a chandelier
posing as the god

of diamond earrings:
translucent,
dangling,
indifferent.

I’ve touched
the fairy’s skirt,
felt the pink
silk thrill and

gauze of it with my hands.
(How I envy
the cat at the bowl,
rapid white mouthfuls.)

The three old women
in The Conversation Club
won’t help us.
So near death

in pointy hats and scarves,
it may as well be Tuesday,
the mailman, or any
ordinary glass of milk.

I’m delighted when
the milk fairy rises,
a minikin woman shaking
the dampness from her wings.

Late for her date
at the palace of Versailles
she rushes the heavenly ballroom
of glass and garish glitter.

The chandelier opens and closes
its claw of merciless light.
Alas, I only have my glass
of milk to kiss goodnight.