Monthly Archives: September 2025

Joseph Brodsky: ‘October madrigal’

No stuffed gull on our mantelpiece but a darling quail. Grandfather ticking at his pace soothes each evening our battered drums. Outside, the tree is a candle with the glums. Four days now sea has pounded on its wall. Lay … Continue reading

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Joseph Brodsky: ‘I put my arms…’

I put my arms around these shoulders, glanced at what lay behind her back, and saw a displaced chair that faded into the brightness of the wall. The light bulb’s filament was too intense for furniture so ripe, which meant … Continue reading

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