"Poem for a Suicide" by Matthew Zapruder

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. In honor of National Poetry Month, please consider making a gift to help cover the costs of this important series.
April 18, 2023 

Poem for a Suicide

Matthew Zapruder

The yellow flowers on the grave
make an arch, they lie 

on a black stone that lies on the ground
like a black door that will always

remain closed down into the earth,
into it is etched the name

of a great poet who believed
he had nothing more to say,

he threw himself into literal water
and everyone has done their mourning 

and been mourned over, and we all 
went on with our shopping, 

I stare at this photograph of that grave
and think you died like him, 

like all the others,
and the yellow flowers 

seem angry, they seem to want to refuse 
to be placed anywhere but in a vase 

next to the living, someday 
all of us will have our names 

etched where we cannot read them,
she who sealed her envelopes

full of poems about doubt with flowers 
called it her “granite lip,” I want mine 

to say Lucky Life, and what would 
a perfect elegy do? place the flowers 

back in the ground? take me 
where I can watch him sit eternally 

dreaming over his typewriter? 
then, at last, will I finally unlearn 

everything? and I admit that yes, 
while I could never leave 

everyone, here at last 
I understand these yellow flowers, 

the names, the black door 
he held open 

and you walked through.

Copyright © 2023 by Matthew Zapruder. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on April 18, 2023, by the Academy of American Poets.

Subscribe to the Poem-a-Day Podcast 

  

“The ‘great poet’ whose grave is mentioned in this poem is Paul Celan. He took his own life in Paris in 1970. Emily Dickinson, who referred to her own gravestone as her ‘granite lip,’ and Gerald Stern, whose ‘Lucky Life’ I would like read at my funeral, also appear. The ‘you’ addressed is not one person, but several people. I want to understand them, and want to hold onto them, but have no choice but to let them go.”
—Matthew Zapruder

Matthew Zapruder
Matthew Zapruder is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently Father’s Day (Copper Canyon Press, 2019), as well as two collections of prose, including Story of a Poem (Unnamed Press, 2023). The recipient of a William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America, he is editor-at-large at Wave Books. Zapruder teaches in the creative writing MFA program at Saint Mary’s College of California.

Father's Day

Father’s Day
(Copper Canyon Press, 2019)
 

 

“Inheritance Cistern Sweet Dominion” by Gabrielle Calvocoressi
read more

“from Please Bury Me in This” by Allison Benis White
read more

Thanks to U.S. poet laureate Ada Limón, author of The Hurting Kind (Milkweed Editions, 2022), who curated Poem-a-Day for this month’s weekdays. As of this year, the U.S. poet laureate guest editorship during National Poetry Month is a collaboration between the Academy and the Library of Congress. Read or listen to a Q&A about Limón's curatorial approach and find out more about our guest editors for the year.
“Poem-a-Day is brilliant because it makes space in the everyday racket for something as meaningful as a poem.” —Tracy K. Smith

If this series is meaningful to you, join the community of Poem-a-Day supporters by making a gift today in honor of National Poetry Month. Now serving more than 320,000 daily subscribers, this publication is only possible thanks to the contributions of readers like you.
 
From Our Advertisers
Copyright © 2023 The Academy of American Poets, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website.



Our mailing address is:
The Academy of American Poets
75 Maiden Lane
STE #901
New York, NY 10038

Add us to your address book


View this email in your browser

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from all Academy messages.

For any other questions, please visit the Poem-a-Day FAQ page.

Older messages

"I have prayed nightly for those I have idolized"

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

April 18, 2023 Arab American Heritage Month Continue celebrating Arab American Heritage month with this selection of poems from our archive: “You Can't” by Maya Abu Al-Hayyat “I Belong There” by

Just a few hours remain. Have your gift doubled when you donate today!

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Thanks to a generous challenge grant, all gifts will be doubled up to $20000. Help us secure the match! The day is drawing to a close and we still need a few more supporters to step up to help secure

"By fearing whom I trust I find my way / To truth"

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

April 11, 2023 Arab American Heritage Month Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month by reading work by Abū al-'Alā' al-Ma'arrī, born in December 973 AD (363 AH), in the village of Ma'

"Taurus Sun, Cancer Moon, Scorpio Rising" by Paul Tran

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Sigh of the Santa Ana through the chaparral clinging to the mountain. Facebook Twitter Instagram Poem-a-Day is reader-supported. In honor of National Poetry Month, please consider making a gift to help

We’re on a countdown! Your gift today will be doubled if we can make our goal

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Make a donation to help share more poems this National Poetry Month, and your gift will be doubled Dear Reader, I have some exciting news: our Board member Larry Berger and his wife Anouk will match

You Might Also Like

Katie Holmes Wears These Classic Loafers With Every Outfit—For Years

Thursday, November 28, 2024

They always look good. The Zoe Report Daily The Zoe Report 11.27.2024 Katie Holmes Wears These Classic Loafers With Every Outfit (Celebrity) Katie Holmes Wears These Classic Loafers With Every Outfit—

The Cheater's Guide to Thanksgiving 🦃

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Shop all the best early Black Friday deals. While there are plenty of tips out there for folks making scratch desserts and artisan loaves, Lifehacker's Cheater's Guide to Thanksgiving focuses

Lindsay Lohan Wore A Plunging, Sheer LBD To Her Movie Premiere

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Plus, Vanessa Hudgens' holiday traditions, your daily horoscope, and more. Nov. 27, 2024 Bustle Daily Vanessa Hudgens On Holiday Style, 'High School Musical', & Kohl's CELEB STYLE

D.C. news station quietly scrubs stories on gas stove health dangers

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Advocates say Washington Gas, a WUSA9 sponsor, pressured the station to take down the stories. "News is absolutely being suppressed," one advocate said. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

‘Is It Even Worth It to Try and Date Again After Divorce?’

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Today in style, self, culture, and power. The Cut November 27, 2024 ADVICE 'Is It Even Worth It to Try and Date Again After Divorce?' You don't have to if you don't want to. But don

Authenticity's a B%*ch

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Listen now (33 mins) | Authenticity. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

How to get a golden-brown turkey every time

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

The best way to decorate holiday cookies ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Unlock The Secret To Memorable Holiday Gifting

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Style is a gift. Nov. 27, 2024 Bustle Daily Find The Perfect Holiday Gifts With Tommy Hilfiger Presented by Tommy Hilfiger Find The Perfect Holiday Gifts With Tommy Hilfiger This holiday season, give

Make your holidays shine! Enter for a chance to WIN $50K!

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Merry & Bright $50000 Sweepstakes ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

⚡ Amazon Lightning Deal! 12 Hours Only! ⚡

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Get the long-term solution for living a healthy life now. Special Offer From our Friends at Good Housekeeping ⚡ Amazon Lightning Deal! 12 Hours Only! ⚡ View in Browser A guide to starting the