Mayakovsky's Revolver

At the center of Mayakovsky’s Revolver is the suicide of Matthew Dickman’s older brother. “Known for poems of universality of feeling, expressive lyricism of reflection, and heartrending allure” (Major Jackson), Dickman is a powerful poet whose new collection explores how to persevere in the wake of grief.

*from “Mayakovsky’s Revolver”

I keep thinking about the way

blackberries will make the mouth

of an eight year old look like he’s a ghost

that’s been shot in the face. In the dark I can see

my older brother walking through the tall brush

of his brain. I can see him standing

in the lobby of the hotel,

alone, crying along with the ice machine.*