In the scrappy, early days of Hollywood-based singer-songwriter venue The Hotel Café, a permanent placard prohibited covers of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” Jeff Buckley had pretty much nailed it shut with his 1994 version, but that didn’t stop aspiring songsmiths from favoring early audiences with their take. More homage than hubris, the endless renditions that dominated the tiny, red-curtained stage constituted a form of worship. Years later, with lyrics translated for the funeral of a friend’s mother, the song tsunamied me into a portal of my grief at the loss of my sister, and once again knocked me over with its grace. 

Amy Raasch is a Los Angeles-based poet, musician, and performer. She holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from Bennington Writing Seminars. She writes about what haunts us.

Broken Sonnet for the Phone Call I Didnt Pick Up by Amy Raasch, poetry

Davon Loeb reads "Like Gladiators," first published in Tahoma Literary Review, Volume 3, Issue 1.

Davon Loeb, "Like Gladiators"

Janet Bowdan lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with her husband, son, and sometimes a lovely stepdaughter or two.

Tahoma Literary Review actually started me thinking about the challenge of the long poem: what could sustain a poem, a poet, a reader for that amount of time? I thought a letter could be both friendly and expansive. Obviously this poem has its soundtrack. The Broadway musical has conventions, like the “I want” song, but it also follows a story form (exciting beginning, neat wrap-up) that comes full circle.  But the poem is now, where we have no clear path or outcome, so it must go forward.

Broken Sonnet for the Phone Call I Didnt Pick Up by Amy Raasch, poetry

TahomaLiterary

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