"Nightsong: City," by Dennis Brutus

"Psalm 1," translated by Stephen Mitchell

"Carpooling," by Hans Ostrom

Stan Is Stubborn

Stan Is Stubborn

Once an  inebriated stranger
in San Francisco on
the street in North Beach
said to me, 
"Stan, is that you?"
"No," I said, "I'm sorry,
but I'm not Stan. "Oh," he
said, swaying delicately in
that way actors can never
capture, the white of his
eyes gone burgundy like
a Pacific sunset, "I was
afraid of that. . . . Stan
died 'n I guess he's gonna
stay dead. He always was
a stubborn son of a bitch."


Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom

"The Poet Fears Failure," by Erica Jong

"Career," by Hans Ostrom

"Little Lyric," by Hans Ostrom

"The Guitar," by Federico Garcia Lorca

"Ancient Stairway," by Denise Levertov

"Harlem Wine," by Countee Cullen

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve


it's New Year's Eve and
i'm lying in bed writing,
writing as usual. i start a
poem, then hear the phone,
get out of bed, and answer it.

the person calling
is a very close friend
and says, "i'm terribly
anxious now--i don't
know why--is everything
going to be okay?"

"yes," i answer, "it is."
my friend seems relieved.
soon the conversation ends.
i go back to bed. i'm wearing
a white oxford-cloth, button-
down shirt, not pajamas.
there are 7 books on the bed
and debris. i start to write again.

it's almost New Year's Day,
and everything is going
to be okay, if  i'm right,
and if i'm wrong.


Copyright 2011 Hans Ostrom

"Learned Critics," by Bhavabhuti

"Heavy Trash," by Mark Halliday