ekphrasis of the end of the camelot era; or, showing my girlfriend the zapruder film
by Adonis Borer
University of La Verne
Adonis Borer is a Mexican-American Jewish undergraduate student from the University of La Verne in southern California. His works feature the often-clashing points of intersectionality within his marginalized identities. Select previous publications include Prism Review, Toyon Literary Magazine, and Oakland Arts Review. He can be found on Instagram here: @bloodyscarab.
poor jackie, in glamorous pink,
watches her husband
shatter,
rhinestones of shimmering rouge
into her lap.
reaching for his skull (frame 371),
clutching what was left of him (frame 408),
perhaps the way she had after that dinner party (1952).
“i just want to be with you, and i want to die with you, and the children do, too —
than live without you.”
she cannot let go of him when they reach parkland,
as if deep down she knows that eventually
they will parade a dozen conspiracies to justify
why her king arthur
“oh jack, what have they done?”
sprayed the same blood as the
cubans and the
germans and
mlk and
malcolm x and
vietnam and
next-door neighbors and their
own children and
nothing prepares you for seeing the president’s head
explode
in 486 frames.
Interview with the Poet
1. What inspired you to start writing poetry? Are there any specific poets or writers that inspire you to write?
Though I submitted poetry, I'm actually more of an essayist! As a result, I am deeply interested in writing about real life experiences. For both my poetry and my essays, I want to tell important stories to people that may not hear those kinds of stories told (or retold, in this poem's case). I find myself deeply inspired by more political essayists like Judith Butler and Gloria Anzaldúa, as well as poets like Octavio Paz!
2. What is the biggest challenge in your creative process?
Knowing when to finish! I think a lot of writers can relate to the feeling of wanting to keep tweaking or adding to a piece until the end of time. Every time I write anything, I give myself constraints on how long I'll allow myself to keep editing it before I need to drop it and submit it somewhere. With enough time, I can find problems in anything I've written that I could toil over.
3. Is there a reoccurring or central theme to your work?
My work definitely tends to lean more political, with specific regard to my personal identities and their intersection with politics. This poem is an interesting deviation from this main theme, as I do find myself writing occasionally about moments in American history that interest me, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy for this piece.
4. What do you think are important elements in effective, thought-provoking poems?
I am personally partial to interesting structures in poems along with pieces that speak to larger societal ills. While I also love poems that seek to give the reader a hyperspecific experience, I adore the poem that connects a smaller moment into the larger tapestry of the human condition.
5. What role do you think poetry plays in our society today?
Like all art, poetry is inherently political and the reading and publishing of poetry of any kind evokes feelings and ideas in the reader about the world around them. Art is intended to make the consumer think and consider different perspectives on human existence! Especially in the current political climate, art and the written word is crucial to keep critical and creative thinking alive in our younger and more vulnerable populations. We must continue to inspire others to keep learning and keep fighting back!