{"id":13660,"date":"2018-12-11T08:00:21","date_gmt":"2018-12-11T14:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/two-poems-by-jen-karetnick\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T16:27:56","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T21:27:56","slug":"two-poems-by-jen-karetnick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2018\/12\/11\/two-poems-by-jen-karetnick\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Poems by Jen Karetnick"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links is-content-justification-right is-layout-flex wp-container-core-social-links-is-layout-765c4724 wp-block-social-links-is-layout-flex\"><li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-facebook  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61556140010887\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12 2C6.5 2 2 6.5 2 12c0 5 3.7 9.1 8.4 9.9v-7H7.9V12h2.5V9.8c0-2.5 1.5-3.9 3.8-3.9 1.1 0 2.2.2 2.2.2v2.5h-1.3c-1.2 0-1.6.8-1.6 1.6V12h2.8l-.4 2.9h-2.3v7C18.3 21.1 22 17 22 12c0-5.5-4.5-10-10-10z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n<li class=\"wp-social-link wp-social-link-instagram  wp-block-social-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/boudin_mcneese\/\" class=\"wp-block-social-link-anchor\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\"><path d=\"M12,4.622c2.403,0,2.688,0.009,3.637,0.052c0.877,0.04,1.354,0.187,1.671,0.31c0.42,0.163,0.72,0.358,1.035,0.673 c0.315,0.315,0.51,0.615,0.673,1.035c0.123,0.317,0.27,0.794,0.31,1.671c0.043,0.949,0.052,1.234,0.052,3.637 s-0.009,2.688-0.052,3.637c-0.04,0.877-0.187,1.354-0.31,1.671c-0.163,0.42-0.358,0.72-0.673,1.035 c-0.315,0.315-0.615,0.51-1.035,0.673c-0.317,0.123-0.794,0.27-1.671,0.31c-0.949,0.043-1.233,0.052-3.637,0.052 s-2.688-0.009-3.637-0.052c-0.877-0.04-1.354-0.187-1.671-0.31c-0.42-0.163-0.72-0.358-1.035-0.673 c-0.315-0.315-0.51-0.615-0.673-1.035c-0.123-0.317-0.27-0.794-0.31-1.671C4.631,14.688,4.622,14.403,4.622,12 s0.009-2.688,0.052-3.637c0.04-0.877,0.187-1.354,0.31-1.671c0.163-0.42,0.358-0.72,0.673-1.035 c0.315-0.315,0.615-0.51,1.035-0.673c0.317-0.123,0.794-0.27,1.671-0.31C9.312,4.631,9.597,4.622,12,4.622 M12,3 C9.556,3,9.249,3.01,8.289,3.054C7.331,3.098,6.677,3.25,6.105,3.472C5.513,3.702,5.011,4.01,4.511,4.511 c-0.5,0.5-0.808,1.002-1.038,1.594C3.25,6.677,3.098,7.331,3.054,8.289C3.01,9.249,3,9.556,3,12c0,2.444,0.01,2.751,0.054,3.711 c0.044,0.958,0.196,1.612,0.418,2.185c0.23,0.592,0.538,1.094,1.038,1.594c0.5,0.5,1.002,0.808,1.594,1.038 c0.572,0.222,1.227,0.375,2.185,0.418C9.249,20.99,9.556,21,12,21s2.751-0.01,3.711-0.054c0.958-0.044,1.612-0.196,2.185-0.418 c0.592-0.23,1.094-0.538,1.594-1.038c0.5-0.5,0.808-1.002,1.038-1.594c0.222-0.572,0.375-1.227,0.418-2.185 C20.99,14.751,21,14.444,21,12s-0.01-2.751-0.054-3.711c-0.044-0.958-0.196-1.612-0.418-2.185c-0.23-0.592-0.538-1.094-1.038-1.594 c-0.5-0.5-1.002-0.808-1.594-1.038c-0.572-0.222-1.227-0.375-2.185-0.418C14.751,3.01,14.444,3,12,3L12,3z M12,7.378 c-2.552,0-4.622,2.069-4.622,4.622S9.448,16.622,12,16.622s4.622-2.069,4.622-4.622S14.552,7.378,12,7.378z M12,15 c-1.657,0-3-1.343-3-3s1.343-3,3-3s3,1.343,3,3S13.657,15,12,15z M16.804,6.116c-0.596,0-1.08,0.484-1.08,1.08 s0.484,1.08,1.08,1.08c0.596,0,1.08-0.484,1.08-1.08S17.401,6.116,16.804,6.116z\"><\/path><\/svg><span class=\"wp-block-social-link-label screen-reader-text\">Instagram<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Jen Karetnick<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>Marching Band Perp Walk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">You never forget the way<br>\nyou\u2019re taught to tread:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Gaze straight ahead. Limbs<br>\non alert. Feet barely lifted,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">a watery shuffle. Toe to heel,<br>\ntoe to heel, a needle through<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">the arch, threading the seams<br>\nof the path in front of you<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">like it\u2019s a uniform too good<br>\nfor everyday wear. No slouch,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">no saunter, no shimmy. Keep<br>\nthe deviations only in your mind,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">expression neutral as midfield,<br>\nhands shackled to instruments<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">of goodwill, visible to the ones<br>\nwho sit above. When you reach<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">your place, raise your proof<br>\nto your lips, inflate the dome<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">at the base of the bags flattening<br>\nyour chest, and put it all on blast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>How to Get Away with Slinging a C\u00e9line<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Start with a wealth of Zottman curls<br>\nwhich you thought were an Influencer\u2019s hairstyle<br>\nuntil your trainer said they\u2019re <em>the<\/em> necessary<br>\nbicep prep in order to pronate or supinate<br>\nlike a defense mechanism the double handles<br>\nof the medium Phantom Tote that weighs<br>\nas much as an emotional support Chihuahua<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">It\u2019s true that a C\u00e9line is a barbell to flex<br>\neven before you put in the pooch to take<br>\nto Whole Foods where you spend the equivalent<br>\nof your last psych wellness visit on a\u00e7ai bowls<br>\nand vegan cheeses infused with remote<br>\nair-dried ingredients that influx nostrils<br>\nwith whiffs worse than those from unexpressed<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">anal glands &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The trick is to maintain form<br>\neven when reaching for Champagne grapes<br>\nas easily bruised as a mother-in-law\u2019s feelings<br>\nwith the redundant \u201cbaby calfskin\u201d that\u2019s the size<br>\nof your own drummed torso &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;After all it is called<br>\nluggage and could likely stop well not a bullet<br>\nIn your world there\u2019s one kind of Bullet and it makes<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">smoothies like TruGreen lawns&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; And ftw it would<br>\nonly get in the way of a serrated blade should there be<br>\nan incident near your two-top at that Salt Bae place<br>\nwhere of course you\u2019re friends with the chef who flicks<br>\ngrains from his fingers like mummified findings<br>\nexcavated from the cartilaginous pyramid of his nose<br>\n(But be sure you Insta it in slo-mo anyway)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Seriously you just might have a chance throwing<br>\nthe Phantom at such a marauder of ribs the way<br>\nAnnalise Keating lobs hers on the table<br>\nin her lecture hall as if it\u2019s a plate meant to break<br>\nbut instead skips like a stone on the leathery vest<br>\nof a weed-choked pond &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The wingspan alone<br>\ncould <em>shuto-uke<\/em> a whole quiver of Laguiole<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">With one swipe ricochet them to back to your own<br>\nopen floor-plan kitchen for handwashing<br>\nby the housekeeper or into the corks<br>\nof the Screaming Eagle you\u2019re on the elite access<br>\nmailing list for and that you store in the cellar<br>\nunder the original Oliver Gal in the consistent<br>\nset chill that marks your every average day<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;_________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">The winner of the 2018 Split Rock Review Chapbook Competition for <em>The Crossing Over<\/em> (May 2019),<strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/jkaretnick.com\">Jen Karetnick<\/a><\/strong> is the author of three full-length poetry collections, including <em>The Treasures That Prevail<\/em> (Whitepoint Press, September 2016), finalist for the 2017 Poetry Society of Virginia Book Prize. Her work appears recently in <em>Glass: A Journal of Poetry<\/em>, <em>The Hamilton Stone Review<\/em>, <em>JAMA<\/em>, <em>Lunch Ticket<\/em>, <em>Michigan Quarterly Review<\/em>, and <em>The Missouri Review<\/em>, and new work is forthcoming in <em>BARNHOUSE<\/em>, <em>Cider Press Review<\/em>, <em>The Laurel Review<\/em>, <em>Ovenbird<\/em>, <em>Salamander<\/em>, and <em>Tampa Review<\/em>. She is co-founder\/co-editor of the daily online literary journal, <em>SWWIM Every Day<\/em> (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.swwim.org\">www.swwim.org<\/a>). She works as the dining critic for <em>MIAMI Magazine<\/em> and as a freelance lifestyle journalist and a trade book author. Her fourth cookbook is forthcoming in May 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>__________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"438\" height=\"211\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1.jpg 438w, https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/boudin-logo-1-300x145.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 438px) 100vw, 438px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\">&lt;&lt; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2018\/12\/03\/two-poems-by-william-brown\/\">Back<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2018\/12\/13\/an-exercise-in-staring-at-the-ceiling-and-contemplating-divorce-by-p-l-sanchez\/\">Next<\/a> &gt;&gt;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">To learn more about submitting your work to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/boudin-submissions\/\">Boudin<\/a><\/em> or applying to McNeese State University&#8217;s Creative Writing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/mfa-application-submissions\/\">MFA program<\/a>, please visit Submissions for details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jen Karetnick __________ Marching Band Perp Walk You never forget the way you\u2019re taught to tread: Gaze straight ahead. Limbs on alert. Feet barely lifted, a watery shuffle. Toe to heel, toe to heel, a needle through the arch, threading the seams of the path in front of you like it\u2019s a uniform too good&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[254],"tags":[20,18],"class_list":["post-13660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boudin-2019-winter-edition","tag-jenkaretnick","tag-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13660"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22699,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13660\/revisions\/22699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}