NACHTMUSIK
by Michael KelleherNoir, noir,
The night has come,
The human scale
Is tipped, the rut,
The groove, the frame
Of mind forming
Out of themselves
Themselves.
Out of the heart’s
Dark corners
A single tolling note—
Clouds drift overhead
Slow, white—
In these moving shapes
A hidden ultimatum
Moves. One looks to
And listens for, say,
A future, in which
One imagines what is
Spoken has meaning, is
Carried over, as over
A causeway to a city
About to be sacked.
Around him now
The temple starts to burn.
He is singing.
What is he singing?
He is singing.
Why is he singing?
He is singing.
From lowered eyes
A touch of malice
Twinkles. In lips’
Trifling tremors,
In cheeks’ checked
Bloom—a word,
A tone, a measure.
It might be true
The thing I hunger for
Is here in all its fullness,
Slightly obscured
And just out of reach.
Only give me
The name that
Calls it forth
To frighten and amaze
By the spectacle
Of its own privation.
The invisible sun
Within flickers still.
It burns. Let it burn.
For no one.
Contributor
Michael KelleherMichael Kelleher's third collection of poems, Museum Hours, is forthcoming from Blazevox Books in 2016. He is the Director of the Windham-Campbell Literature Prizes at Yale University and the former Artistic and Associate Director of Just Buffalo Literary Center in Buffalo, NY.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES

Ross Barkan’s Demolition Night
by Joseph PeschelFEB 2019 | Books
Demolition Night, Ross Barkan’s first novel, tells the story of a not-too-distant, dystopic future so terrible for most people that a young woman and her friend go back in time to change the future by killing the woman who gave birth to America’s despot president.

The Lure of the Dark: Contemporary Painters Conjure the Night
by Alex JenFEB 2019 | ArtSeen
Depending on who you ask, when the sun goes down, it's time to head home or hit the streets. The nighttime is for resting up for tomorrow, seeing a loved one, working late or dancing until daybreak. It's also for delinquents to slink around casing a joint, and for bigots to hide as they carry out hate crimes.

The Future Starts Now: A Night With Emily Johnson/Catalyst
by Nicole Loeffler-GladstoneOCT 2017 | Dance
I can hear low conversation as people gather around a glowing light and write letters to the future. Later, in the deepest part of the night, someone plays the violin. The sound stays with me as I doze off and helps me remember where I am when I open my eyes.

David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night
by Danilo MachadoSEPT 2018 | ArtSeen
My partner and I were recently tested for HIV at a local clinic that doubles as a thrift store. The test was free, and our negative results were instant.