"They Asked Me to Edit The Best American Poetry 2008, And. . ." [by Todd Boss]

They Asked Me to Edit The Best American Poetry 2008, and of Course I Said Yes,Though the Pay Was…

Anyway, obviously, it never came to pass,
since by some snafu their #2 choice, Chuck
Wright, got a contract on the same day
I did, he signed his first, and before my
agent dragged Simon & Schuster into
a protracted legal battle, I did what any
self-respecting person would do and
washed my hands of the whole thing
and I don’t regret it one bit. I last saw
series editor David Lehman in a bar, and
yes, he was trashed when he told me this,
but I’m sure it’s true: Trying to pin
merit badges in the middle of a smack
of jellyfish is a pretty sticky business,

so I’m over it. Still, it was embarrassing
here at home, in Minnesota, where I’d
thrown a big party back in the fall of ’07
when I got the invitation, and then later
had to explain to all those people
and the press, and I’m not saying it’s
why my wife finally left, but it certainly
didn’t help matters any. I still get to see
the kids on weekends, and my insurance
covers therapy. It did cost a pretty penny
to remove the tattoo, and true, it hurt like
hell, but it’s all behind me now, although
sometimes I do still wake in a cold sweat
screaming out ISBN 0743299752.

-- Todd Boss

This poem first appeared in KNOCKOUT.  Listen to Todd Boss read his poem here:  Download They Asked Me to Edit

Comments

[Noah Burke]

I like this poem a lot. Thanks for posting.
NB