 Share
|
Email
Print
|
In the junk shop stood an old wood chest,
patina of ships and the sea, use and years;
the box heavy, empty, forgotten, set apart.
On the lid stenciled in bulky black a sort of tattoo,
the legend read JOHN SLATE / LIVERPOOL.
I wanted to ask but never found out, was Slate
out of Liverpool or bound for it? Down one end,
small letters read E. S. Liverpool. Is that his son,
or did that have to be another? Watch by the sea,
I think, stand there till an aura grows clear like
some maritime koan, or a bottle, frosted and cracked,
holding a slip of paper, riding the tide.
National Portrait Gallery
|
The Civil War
A 150th-anniversary commemorative issue, with Atlantic work by Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass, and others. Read more › |
The History of Thomas Edison
This Must Be the Place: Byun
Video Documentary: The Impact of a Principal
James Fallows on Obama's first term, Raymond Bonner on the death penalty, Christopher Hitchens on G.K. Chesterton, and more
Browse back issues of The Atlantic that have appeared on the Web. From September 1995 to the present, the archive is essentially complete, with the exception of a few articles, the online rights to which are held exclusively by the authors.
See All Back Issues: September 1995
More Name Calling in the Tech Blog "Cesspool"
Terrorist Bomber Blows Off His Own Legs in Bangkok
Malaysia Celebrates Valentine's Day by Arresting Unmarried Couples
Carla Bruni to Represent the Working Class
Why America Keeps Getting More Conservative
Should Building Taller Be Much, Much Easier?
Join the Discussion
After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register. blog comments powered by Disqus