By Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes
THE DEATH OF RIMBAUD
Shot
through the hand by poetry
24 year old Rimbaud
left one season in hell for another
The alchemist of words
sailed by drunken boat
across Mediterranean
In Cyprus
he exchanged ink and paper
for shovel and pick
overseeing the deconstruction
of mountains into
governor’s mansion
The rabid dogs of history suggest
he fled Aphrodite’s island
because he killed a man
If he murdered anyone
it was himself
the stone-battered body of a writer
who renounced his Muse
Books on carpentry and farming
he sent for before leaving port
never found him
on his voyage into the necropolis
of commerce
Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes was born and raised in San Diego, California. He attended Herbert Hoover High School and went on to study Religion and Theology at the University of San Diego. His book Intimate Geography, published by Ragged Sky Press, won the 2012 San Diego Book Award for Poetry. Ish, as he is known, has also written lyrics for German musicians Andrea Hörkens and Thomas Roderburg (Tender Art).
Latest posts by Ishmael von Heidrick-Barnes (see all)
- Word’s Out | Geo-Poetic Spaces - December 14, 2018
- Political Love Affair | Geo-Poetic Spaces - December 7, 2018
- Deer Tracks | Geo-Poetic Spaces - November 30, 2018
