Nine Posthumous Poems
An introduction to nine posthumous poems by James Tate published alongside his collection The Government Lake.
A comic posthumous poem recounting a series of absurd mishaps with farm animals.
PoetryThe CognacA comic posthumous poem depicting an ordinary, pleasant first date told in flat, deadpan style.
PoetryThe Disappearing WifeA comic, dark posthumous poem structured as a circular argument between a husband and wife about leaving each other.
PoetryA Good DateA comic posthumous poem in which the speaker wakes inexplicably in a stranger's bed and stays for breakfast.
PoetryHeavenA comic posthumous poem about pulling a mysterious, possibly dangerous beetle off the speaker's head.
PoetryThe HummingA comic posthumous poem about a lakeside cabin retreat and a false sighting of a dead body in the water.
PoetryIn the RoughA comic posthumous poem describing a disoriented, surreal morning haunted by an unseen spirit.
PoetrySpaceshipA comic posthumous poem about a spaceship sighting that triggers an escalating, absurd police response.
PoetryThe White ThingA comic posthumous poem in which a sick office worker drives home into a surreal, tropical version of his own city.
