'....amigo, you dance across wide open spaces.'

May 21, 2006 10:16 PM

When I was in school in '98 I read one of the best poems ever. Help me find it.

It's by Denis Johnson and it's called 'Torture,' (I think?) dedicated to Stephen Dobyns (of Church of Dead Girls 'fame.') I know, this should be easy to find, right? I want to buy the volume, I just can't remember where the poem occurred. Thanks.

posted by rebirtha to Writing & Language (14 answers total)

I searched high and low for this last night and got bupkiss. Was it in an anthology?
posted by Biblio at 6:06 AM on May 22, 2006

Johnson's only got a few books of poetry out; a good university library should have them for you to browse, or use this search at Bookfinder.com; they all show up, including an anthology that has two of his early poems. Btw, there's no "Torture" listed in the table of contents of this big collection of his poems, so you may have that wrong.
posted by mediareport at 6:29 AM on May 22, 2006

I found a poem dedicated to Stephen Dobyns, but it is by Douglas Goetsch, and entitled 'Dinosaurs'. Hope you either enjoy it or it happens to be the poem you are looking for.

I found the text of the poem here.

Wherever You Want (Pavement Saw Press)
ISBN: 1-886350-79-5
(23 poems, 34 pages)
-Out of Print-
posted by o0ll0o.o0ll0o at 7:46 AM on May 22, 2006

Response by poster: Biblio, mediareport, it didn't show up in Throne of The Third &c. &c., and so led me to speculate it was published in some anthology and not in any of Johnson's own collections. I am nearly one hundred percent sure it was written by Denis Johnson, and called 'Torture,' which is why it is maddening not to be able to find it.
posted by rebirtha at 9:39 AM on May 22, 2006

Write the author through his publisher. Publishers will forward mail, and their addresses are public. He will likely be flattered you remembered the poem, and will certainly be happy to provide you with all the publishing details your heart desires.

If the author is deceased, his publisher will know who administers his copyright and send you to them.
posted by joannemerriam at 9:49 AM on May 22, 2006

I can't help either, but do you remember the name of the instructor? If so, profs usually keep good records of poems they've taught. A quick e-mail to that person would serve two purposes -- it would get you what you want, and also let him or her know that the poem meant something to you, encouraging them to keep teaching it. (Then there's the lovely thrill of knowing that something you've taught or done really resonated with a student -- there's not a lot of material reward in teaching, so this kind of experience really ends up being what it's all about.) Good luck finding your poem!
posted by melissa may at 10:25 AM on May 22, 2006

it didn't show up in Throne of The Third &c. &c.

If you've already browsed all of his poetry collections and the 'Twelve Poems' anthology for it, than contacting the publisher or any teacher involved sound like your best bets.
posted by mediareport at 10:45 AM on May 22, 2006

Response by poster: Thank you all. I'll update this thread to let anyone concerned know if I have any luck finding it.
posted by rebirtha at 12:56 PM on May 22, 2006

Best answer: Is the quote in your question title an homage to Raymond Carver, or are they from the poem you want? I'm unfortunately too much a literalist to be able to make the distinction. Because Raymond Carver's poem "Torture" appears to have the line you quoted. If it is simply an homage, can you remember anything quotable from the poem you're interested in? C'mon, toss us a bone here; we need search-engine material.

(Raymond Carver, Stephen Dobyns, and Denis Johnson all have connections to each other, so it can be kind of confusing.)
posted by mdevore at 1:00 PM on May 22, 2006

Response by poster: mdevore, is it by Carver and not Johnson?(!!!)
posted by rebirtha at 1:28 PM on May 22, 2006

Response by poster: The line from my title is the last line of the poem. It includes the line '... haven't the strength of a leaf (?)....' and mentions the shores of Titicaca. 'You want to implicate everyone in this!' 'You are in love again. This time it is a South American general's daughter.'

This is what I've got.
posted by rebirtha at 1:30 PM on May 22, 2006

Response by poster: mdevore, you did it. Ever so many thanks to you.
posted by rebirtha at 1:35 PM on May 22, 2006

You are falling in love again. This time
it is a South American general's daughter.
You want to be stretched on the rack again.
You want to hear awful things said to you
and to admit these things are true.
You want to have unspeakable acts
committed against your person, things
nice people don't talk about in classrooms.
You want to tell everything you know
on Simon Bolivar, on Jorge Luis Borges,
on yourself most of all.
You want to implicate everyone in this!
Even when it's four o'clock in the morning
and the lights are burning still -
those lights that have been burning night and day
in your eyes and brain for two weeks -
and you are dying for a smoke and a lemonade,
but she won't turn off the lights that woman
with the green eyes and little ways about her,
even when you want to be her gaucho.
Dance with me, you imagine hearing her say
as you reach for the empty beaker of water.
Dance with me, she says again and no mistake.
She picks this minute to ask you, hombre,
to get up and dance with her in the nude.
No, you don't have the strength of a fallen leaf,
not the strength of a little reed basket
battered by waves on Lake Titicaca.
But you bound out of bed
just the same, amigo, you dance
across wide open spaces.
posted by exit at 5:23 PM on May 22, 2006

This is what I've got.

Huh. rebirtha, next time give us all the info you have. Those few lines would've solved this one a *lot* sooner.
posted by mediareport at 8:13 PM on May 22, 2006