Peter Culley 1958 – 2015

This was originally posted on the Cascadia Poetry Festival by Kim Clark (below). See also an interview your humble narrator did with Peter last year. (http://paulenelson.com/2014/06/29/peter-culleys-hammertown/)

He will be missed.

* * *

Peter Culley, one of our local Cascadia poets, passed away in his sleep Friday, April 10, 2015. He was scheduled to be one of the featured readers at the third Cascadia Poetry Festival in Nanaimo, BC, Apr 30-May3.

Such a loss. Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.

A LETTER TO HAMMERTOWN 

(excerpt)

I abandon my self
to a blushing
of precise boundaries,
like where a squirrel would
step up to snap the branch
back fast enough
to ride the torque all the way back,
a walnut under each arm–
getaway with intent to spring
rather than English leave.

It’s why I wear my
shirts backwards
& my jacket is the color
of the sky.

Peter Culley‘s books of poetry include The Climax Forest (Leech 1995), Hammertown New Star 2003, The Age of Briggs & Stratton (New Star 2008) and Parkway (New Star).  His essays and art writing have been appearing since 1986.