All night,
we blast our wedding horns
in force.
And two years later
quietly divorce.”
That’s the opening entry in a new collection of divorce poetry called Split Verse. The editors, who are also poets and divorcees Meg Campbell and William Duke, believe divorce — unlike marriage, birth, and death — doesn’t get nearly enough creative recognition. With so many Americans becoming ex’s, they say, it’s time to note the imagery and rituals in what happens to one of every two American marriages.
The bare ring finger. The sudden access of closet space. Sleeping on the diagonal. Holidays alone. Running into his new girlfriend and her new boyfriend. Renting the videos of your choice. Longing. Custody. And the occasional homicidal fantasy: you just happened to run over your ex, as the poet imagines, and you’re so startled you back up to see what happened… maybe only once.
(Hosted by Christopher Lydon)
Guests:
Meg Campbell and William Duke, editors of Split Verse.