Paisley Rekdal’s poem, “The Structure of Pluto,” appeared in MQR’s Spring 2002 issue. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Whose only moon is Charon, ferryman of the dead who circles death’s king. No cartoon dog this, Pluto brings its own rules to the table: sheets of rock and frozen methane,
snow in the blood. my lover’s coo
“Show me the place,” he said.
I removed my shirt and pointed
to a tiny star above my heart.
Here, the fog horns seem to multiply,/clocks and bells grieve louder./Strange how I never noticed them before.
I got them first to navigate the waters/ of pregnancy, so I could ride the subway/ without gorge rising, without feeling faint.
Whistleblowers, according to Fred Alford’s study, do not achieve redemption. They are not, in the majority of cases, acknowledged as heroes or truth tellers. Whistle blowing is rather an act of self-sacrifice, a suicide mission.