The Cartoon & Poem Supplement

"It doesn’t work."

Poems:

“Theology” by Ocean Vuong: The first half has, I’m sure, some kind of internal logic, but it feels like a series of false starts, like backstory, like notes on the poem we’re reading. Which isn’t the worst thing. But the midway turn to squirrelishness is really lovely, and feels less like VuongGPT. “being skinned into purpose” is really resonant. Other lines are too Instagram-filtered – “I know I was put here for a reason, but I spend most days / just missing everybody.” The ending image is a bit of an unfunny punchline – I can almost imagine it tweaked into a Far Side cartoon; the squirrel observing the funeral and quipping “that’s how they pay to have opposable thumbs” – but it’s not entirely without pathos.