Poem of the Week

For the Man on His Knees at The Eagle

Francisco Márquez

You take in two,
then four, turning
to every direction,

revealed by
the light when
it hits you,

hand stiff
at the back
of your neck,

a finger pries
your mouth
open: I know

how far we go
for pleasure, I see
a memory

of love flying
from your eyes!
What once

burned inside
me, inside you
prospering.

Francisco Márquez is a Venezuelan poet with work in Narrative Magazine, The Best American Poetry 2021, and The Slowdown podcast. The recipient of fellowships from the Poetry Project and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, he lives in Brooklyn.