Close Talking

Ringing in the new year with a poem about capitalism and climate change—"Romance #1" by Eunsong Kim. Connor and Jack discuss how the poem makes late capitalism and climate change visceral, its brilliant opening and chilling ending, crown-of-thorns starfish, and of course their own 14 year old crushes. More about Eunsong Kim here: https://cssh.northeastern.edu/people/faculty/eunsong-kim/ & https://eun-song.org/ Check out Kim's collection here: http://www.noemipress.org/catalog/poetry/eunsong-kim/ Romance #1 By: Eunsong Kim like some 14 year old girl waiting for her crush to glance back i keep waiting for capitalism to end but it won’t end my adult life lover states on what will end: Libraries Birds Retirement Recess Sprinting during recess Hispid Hares Starfish shaped like stars Inconvenience Wrinkles Sunken cheeks Living corals Protests Anti-Nuclear Proliferation Non-Aggression Pacts Dragonflies Mangosteen DMZs Trade Embargos Leopards, all kinds Sawfins Rewilding Infiltration Plot/Dreams