Mark Russell

normative, oracular

Give the gods their overdues,
some in spindles, some in ash,
square them up with your brother’s girlfriends,
one or two, at least, (the very least),
carry them to the carpenter’s field,
the generous seer’s allotments, his blind husband’s
kindly but deceptive shrine,
dip your beak in their glass amphoras,
hold your breath
for as long as it takes them to issue a receipt:
beware, praise-giver, of your idols
bearing their naked smiles, their lack of conditions.

Mark Russell’s recent collections are Come to the River (Beir Bua, 2023; Downingfield, 2024), and Men Who Repeat Themselves (erbacce, 2022). His poems have appeared recently in The Rialto, Stand, The Manchester Review, and Gutter. 

Mark wrote the following about his poem:

I first met ‘Normative, Oracular’ when it sat down next to me in the great library of Alexandria. ‘I usually go to the library in Dumbarton,’ it said. ‘But this is light and airy, isn’t it?’ We exchanged a few pleasantries, and he remarked on the one in Helensburgh being nice, but with such limited opening hours. Just as I was about to ask it to explain itself, one of the librarians asked us to be quiet.