If you’ve managed to make it this far into April Fools’ Day without incident, congratulations. Any sugar-salt-switches or waiting buckets of water over doors aside, today marks the start of National Poetry month in the US. I hope you all remembered to get your free copies of Poetry for the festivities, but if you didn’t, I’ll be posting a poem a day in the spirit of the thing. To start us off, one of my favorites poems by Newark’s own Stephen Crane.

In the Desert

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, “Is it good, friend?”
“It is bitter—bitter,” he answered;

“But I like it
“Because it is bitter,
“And because it is my heart.”