About CC

M.A. Istvan Jr. (b. 1983) is a queer Austin poet. He has written a dissertation on “Spinoza and the Problem of Universals: A Study and Research Guide.” He resides at 6903 Deatonhill Dr. 40, Austin, TX 78745 and can also be contacted through his email- maistvanjr@gmail.com.

1. When You Wonder

When you wonder

How you keep on having to produce

even as the horizon is one of desolation,

it is at that point,

where you can realize

your kinship with the ants.

You once thought it absurd

how they could keep on,

no matter how many times

you destroy their mounds.

2. Building a Mystery

It is no wonder that

what is not mysterious

gets taken as mysterious.

What use would life be

without trying

to come up with

the right interpretation,

defending it,

shooting down others,

worrying that yours is wrong?

3. The Neighbor

The laugh of women

garlic frying,

a sweetness,

a family,

He watches them

each morning, alone.

He watches them

dine at Easter.

The sky is perfect blue.

4. Persona

How exhausting it is to maintain

an inauthentic persona.

Sometimes, however,

you become trapped.

That persona is how you got fame.

That persona supports your family,

growing with your responsibilities.

5. School

Picking right up

on the history lesson

as if the school was not just derailed

by a sniffing-dog-and-sirens bomb threat,

at some level everyone—kids included—

are let down not to have been a part

of an incineration of books and concerns.