Inside of an Apple

Joshua Beckman was born in New Haven, Connecticut. He is the author of nine books, including The Inside of an Apple (Wave Books, 2013), Take It, Shake, Your Time Has Come, and two collaborations with Matthew Rohrer: Nice Hat. Thanks. and Adventures While Preaching the Gospel of Beauty. He is an editor at Wave Books and has translated numerous works of poetry and prose, including Micrograms, by Jorge Carrera Andrade, 5 Meters of Poems (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2010) by Carlos Oquendo de Amat and Poker (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2008) by Tomaz Salamun, which was a finalist for the PEN America Poetry in Translation Award. He is also the recipient of numerous other awards, including a NYFA fellowship and a Pushcart Prize. He lives in Seattle and New York.

• [Stars[I livebark frost scenethe inside of an appleAlong the river[Quit &Silver streamers dazzling winter[In the air as russet apples[I’m not with my [That being alive[silvered out night[flecks(August 28)[rain stones curved[flowers from[stations formed and madeThe Plant[Yeah, well[strands of gold[Being of lambkin mindWaste & Use[Being in ways[confident[clappers clapping[moon[revelingof Oregon[light sand[shell plucked[starlings[flower puffs of dust[junk plums[Powder’s [Raise while you canDaisies are calmingThat’s Not What I’d Do[On 13th street[Early end of yearfirst snow[on a twig[Crackle crackleporch lightSitting on that chair a peg above my headearth starsPark hurt callsHow the mountain calmed me down[Not gloss year candles[Ocean which I pushed upfull of scarletGod’s cabin’s a jungle[Smiling granite[Couldn’t then see[Not as in somemadrigal of trashbirdGod’s Wicker Basket FurnaceThe Curtain[living real things[a bit of / combed hair[tablets[I saw hearts in Proust[a hammer flattens[Grey light shadow[caution’s loving[falling terrors of[hot in my frame[Lofted cold falls[Let my still dark soul