Five Points, Vol. 19, no. 2

Summer 2019

"I’ve always kept one foot out of the academy. This has always been a conscious act on my part. Physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally. I refuse to let the academy have me in any kind of whole way."
—Nikky Finney

Sample Content

Gerald Stern
Bule Hills Road

I'm terrified to read Cervantes again
or Ben Johnson
and see how far I've strayed.
One night when I was staying in Amherst
I kissed the meadowlark a gentle goodnight
and went to sleep on my own mattress
but in the early morning she had turned
into a wild bear
just out of hibernation
angry, starved, constipated,
and I walked over a mile to have my coffee
at an all-night diner.
I think it was called Blue Hills Road
and her bedroom door was open all night
to let the light in.

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