Billy X. O’Brien

I'm a big fan of everything neo-classist [particularly post 1850], so Billy X. O’Brien's poem "Satyr's Caul" in the journal Shampoo issue 38 here was one I loved immediately. It's a great blend of the ancient world with modern forms. The end has a turn that seems fine after the middle, which both move forward in time, and yet the shift isn't unacceptable.

Here's an excerpt:

The bushes are wet

and awake with it

A Dionysian satyr reclines

in marble
legs spread, exposed,
fingers crossed

behind his head

forever lying in wait [...]