{"id":13792,"date":"2020-12-07T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-07T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/two-poems-by-jess-williard\/"},"modified":"2025-10-28T16:43:58","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T21:43:58","slug":"two-poems-by-jess-williard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2020\/12\/07\/two-poems-by-jess-williard\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Poems by Jess Williard"},"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>Jess Williard<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>Tackle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-verse has-medium-font-size\">When he said he could believe\nin something closer\n\nto what she believes in,\nand because of her,\n\nhe meant because. Not for.\nAnd in the breath\n\nafter that truth\nthere the both of them are\n\non a turf field in August.\nIt's sweltering,\n\nthe the first practice\nof the season in pads.\n\nSomeone lets off\nand pops his solar plexus\n\nwith the crown\nof their helmet. Whatever\n\ncrawls out of the face\nmask next leaves another\n\ntruth sputtering\non his tongue,\n\nthis an imperative: \n<em>give me your hand.<\/em>\n\nHe stumbles to a shaded\nmedical tent. He leans\n\nover an orange\ncooler. He swears\n\nunder his breath.\nThere's a child a handful\n\nof miles away for whom\nhe is responsible.\n\nHe knows this. There's a deity \nfloating somewhere\n\nin-between for whom\nhe is not. He pulls the helmet\n\nback over his head\nand charges across the field\n\nto make a promise\nof the waiting\n\nand thoughtless ribcage\nbelow the dreaming head\n\nof a man.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">__________<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:25px\"><strong>American Football<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">As soon as he said linebacker I found myself assessing his frame, then my own. Fingering the divots at my hip through sweat-thinned fabric, I imagined I&#8217;d find something more through his. It was right, made sense: he was the kind of big that wasn&#8217;t there until you thought about it. I was traveling, he was living, the rainy season changed the way we thought about summer every half- hour; heavy mist bent mornings halfway back to dreams; the President had just begun his second term. But there&#8217;s always a better way of telling it, and proximity has it&#8217;s own chronology: Before head-leading tackles were deemed too dangerous for play he was given a scholarship. The kind of biographical fold that makes a destination of a body, its ancient alleys steeped in the sheen of being walked through for centuries, the curtained bazaar an economy of chatter and sacred exchanges a bright plaza where there&#8217;s always something to admire and nothing costs too much. From a sun-caught balcony above the docks a girl admires herself in the reflection of a windshield pulling slowly past, a car with the passenger window rolled down enough for me to lean out and catch her momentary gaze in the trap of a cellphone. This is what I left with. But there&#8217;s even less, now. I&#8217;ve become the shape of what I miss. I&#8217;m touching stranger&#8217;s hips for signs of the positions they&#8217;ll play. As soon as he said linebacker I thought of how you can go somewhere you&#8217;ve never been and feel at home there. And how a lumbering bloodline can make entire inches of you less plausible. Still the girl is puckering her lips at dusk-lighted glass with curtains billowed at her back. Still they push carts of vegetables and fish to the square at dawn, trading their wares for whatever&#8217;s worth it. Still I jump the play count and am given away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>__________<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Jess Williard<\/strong> is the author of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uapress.com\/product\/unmanly-grief\/\"><em>Unmanly Grief<\/em><\/a> (University of Arkansas Press, 2019). His poems have most recently appeared in <em>DIAGRAM<\/em>, <em>The Gettysburg Review<\/em>, <em>Poetry Northwest<\/em>, <em>Cumberland River Review<\/em>, and <em>North American Review<\/em>. He is from Wisconsin.<\/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\/2020\/12\/07\/poem-in-which-darlington-emerges-by-aj-white\/\">Back<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/2020\/12\/07\/the-last-frozen-tundra-by-brian-chander-wiora\/\">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>Jess Williard __________ Tackle When he said he could believe in something closer to what she believes in, and because of her, he meant because. Not for. And in the breath after that truth there the both of them are on a turf field in August. It&#8217;s sweltering, the the first practice of the season&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[202],"tags":[75,108,145],"class_list":["post-13792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-football-20-boudin","tag-boudin","tag-football","tag-poetry-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13792","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=13792"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13792\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21146,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13792\/revisions\/21146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mcneese.edu\/thereview\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}