PoetryDecember/January 2025–26
from I Imagine I Been Science Fiction Always
Word count: 108
Paragraphs: 6
I imagine I been
science fiction always —
even as was they done
sailed unidentified
floating obscenities.
To whom tha natural?
Sure as shit it’s shady
calling all those tall ships
kin, kith; isn’t we forged
from the same industry?
Douglas Kearney has published books ranging from poetry to essays. His newest, I Imagine I Been Science Fiction Always, is a collection of visual poetry and an NYPL Best Book of 2025 and Minnesota Book Award Finalist. He is working on a speculative opera about Bessie Coleman with support from Three Friends/One Spirit 三友一心. He is a Samuel Russell Chair in the Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts and Professor of English at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.