2020: a poem by le hinton.

 

 The Heart of the Matter

I am astonished at the asceticism of olives,
the black keys on an otherwise white piano,
and how jelly tolerates the infidelity
of peanut butter with bread.

I’ve always been a bit slow in appreciating
the finer points of intimacy,
the way stuffed animals casually stand
mouths agape while witnessing
the crumpling of dreams in a bedroom.

The tightly closed leaves of an artichoke
protect it from the lies of Casanovas
and other insatiable insects,

but in the end
most olives lack a beating red center.    

 

                    Originally published in Cerebral Catalyst
                    and Black on Most Days

 

Poet, teacher, lecturer, Le Hinton is the author of six poetry collections including, the Language of Moisture and Light (Iris G. Press, 2014) and most recently, Sing Silence (Iris G. Press, 2018). His work has been widely published and can be found in The Best American Poetry 2014, the Baltimore Review, the Pittsburgh Poetry Review, the Summerset Review, the Skinny Poetry Journal, and in many other publications. His poem “Epidemic” was honored by The Pennsylvania Center for the Book and “Our Ballpark” can be found outside Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, incorporated into Derek Parker’s sculpture Common Thread.

His current collection, Sing Silence (formerly A Chorus for Cotton), was a finalist for "The Best Prize for People of Color" from Big Lucks and an honorable mention for the Dogfish Head Poetry Prize.

He has read his work at the Library of Congress for Grace Cavalieri's long-running  series, The Poet and the Poem; Penn State University for the Pennsylvania Center for the Book's Public Poetry Project; in Charleston, South Carolina, for the Capital BookFest; and in New York City at the New School for The Best American Poetry 2014 release reading.