Featured Poet: James Rioux, Exeter
 A recipient of the Gerard Manley Hopkins Award for Poetry, James Rioux published his first book of poetry, Fistfuls of the Invisible, with Penhallow Press in 2004. His work has appeared in a variety of publications including Five Points, Prairie Schooner, and The North American Review. In 2009, he was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in Poetry.
"Morning" is what happens when the poet humbly attempts to pay close attention to his own ignorance without too much flinching. See also Melville's story "Benito Cereno."
MORNING
When I looked in the mirror,
I was holding a razor at my throat--
a slave with mutiny on his mind
shaving his master…But the thought
of my two old black boots silent
in the closet's dark restrained me.
There were things to be done. Outside,
the river ran wildly with melting snow…
And something rising in me too--
blood's desire for the world's endless news.
I raised the shades to a sharp sun that cut
wide swaths across the room, stirring the dust
into almost whispers almost heard.
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