Sean Maguire Tells Will Hunting by James Merenda
Associate poetry editor Hannah Cajandig-Taylor on today’s bonus poem:: Like Good Will Hunting, the movie from which James Merenda draws inspiration, this poem reaches out to the reader through a nostalgic relationship and emphasis on the idea that fault can be an overhanging trauma that echoes throughout our lives. I love everything about this clever poem.
Sean Maguire Tells Will Hunting
It’s not your fault My father rises from
the seat next to me,
It’s not your fault he crosses the room, adjusts
the Venetian blinds, hesitates to
Look at me, son, come back
to the place he started.
It’s not your fault He sits on the other side
of the couch
It’s not quiet,
your familiar narrative unfolding
before him, wishing himself
fault less in the room.
James Merenda (they/them) is a queer & nonbinary poet, playwright, and organizer. They were raised outside of New York City and currently reside in Boston, Massachusetts. James was a selected participant in Winter Tangerine’s March 2019 intensive. Their work has appeared or is forthcoming in THRUSH, PANK, and The Shallow Ends. James’ first full-length manuscript is currently a semifinalist for YesYes Books’ 2019 Pamet River Prize.
