My mother sleeps in my bed,
my father sleeps
in a ground starting to freeze.
I wake in a moon-lit room
not meant for sleeping.
What else to do but let go
of his wheelchair and inhalers,
his starched pajamas pressed
and resting in his cherry dresser?
–Marianne Worthington,
Bigger Than They Appear:
Anthology of Very Short Poems
(Accents Publishing)
The clock in the plaza
showed the wrong time,
which was just right for somewhere else.
And why were you so surprised
that at that hour
we simply did not exist?
It wasn’t our turn yet.
The clock had three other faces—
each for a different hour of need.
–Andrei Guruianu,
Bigger Than They Appear:
Anthology of Very Short Poems
(Accents Publishing)
Fifty years
since it stepped
from the brush
the moose
on the wall
smiles
–Thom Ward,
Bigger Than They Appear:
Anthology of Very Short Poems
(Accents Publishing)
is small and fierce. Suddenly,
I can no longer be trusted
with secrets. Tell me nothing
vital: I would give it up
in an instant. Now, there is
something in life
worth ransom.
–Elizabeth Iannaci,
Bigger Than They Appear:
Anthology of Very Short Poems
(Accents Publishing)
As the moon casts
long shadows through
spruce-scented woods
world leaders debate
the essence of evil
an old woman inhales
cold mountain air
a young doe in the thicket
endures her first birth.
-Arlene L. Mandell,
Bigger Than They Appear:
Anthology of Very Short Poems
(Accents Publishing)
I am God–Melva Sue Priddy,
Bigger than They Appear:
Anthology of Very Short Poems
(Accents Publishing)
Melva Sue Priddy, a native Kentuckian, lives with her husband Gene Strode, who has helped provide a safe environment for writing.
is like understanding a drum solo.–Tom C. Hunley,
Bigger Than They Appear:
Anthology of Very Short Poems
(Accents Publishing)
Withered hand turns–Matthew Haughton,
Bigger Than They Appear:
Anthology of Very Short Poems
(Accents Publishing)
These trees scrub the winter sky—–Martha Gehringer,
Bigger Than They Appear:
Anthology of Very Short Poems
(Accents Publishing)
In 2012, the Lexington Public Library recorded and produced a reading held at the Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning. This event featured readings from Bigger Than They Appear: Anthology of Very Short Poems.
For the full list of videos, click here.
The poets were asked to read one of their poems as well as someone else’s. Below are the poets, the time stamp where they appear in the video, and the poems they read. The emcee is Katerina Stoykova-Klemer.
NOTE: The anthology was dedicated to the Memory of Mark Russell Brown. In this video, Katerina discusses who he was at 08:59 and a poem of his is read by K. Nicole Brown.