Ancient Enmity: An Excerpt from Poppies by the Motorway, by Agnes S.L. Lam

In yesterday’s post, you read an excerpt from a chapbook published within the Poetry and Conflict collection called Between the Trees and the Non-Trees, by Adonis. Today, in a continued celebration of National Poetry Month, we are featuring an excerpt from the 2017 collection called Ancient Enmity, a product of the International Poetry Nights in Hong Kong (IPNHK). These chapbooks contain the diverse voices of more than twenty esteemed international poets who came together for a few nights in Hong Kong, an event which takes place every two years, to creatively interpret the theme “Ancient Enmity.”

This excerpt is from a poem in the chapbook Between the Trees and the Non-Trees called “Back Then,” by Agi Mishol. Poets featured in the box set of Ancient Enmity include Gabeba Baderoon (South Africa), Javier Bello (Chile), Chen Dongdong (China), Jérôme Game (France), Major Jackson (U.S.), George Szirtes (UK), Anja Utler (Germany), Haris Vlavianos (Greece), and others. 

Enter our drawing for your chance to win a copy of Wednesday’s featured  box set Islands or Continents!