Rattle – Summer 2005

Do lawyers write poetry? Well, if a tribute to lawyers who write appears in the summer 2005 issue of Rattle, the answer is a resounding yes: lawyers do write poetry. Lawyer poems can often be just as sad, angry, or serious as non-lawyer poems. They can even be humorous, like these lines taken from ‘“What Is Your Idle Job?’” by Ace Bogess: “Then it’s back to the office for coffee / tasting like gasoline, maybe a doughnut on the sly” he writes. “If my boss pops over, checking my progress, / I greet him with a good-natured pat on the back / to wipe the sticky glaze from my fingertips.” Do lawyers write poetry? Well, if a tribute to lawyers who write appears in the summer 2005 issue of Rattle, the answer is a resounding yes: lawyers do write poetry. Lawyer poems can often be just as sad, angry, or serious as non-lawyer poems. They can even be humorous, like these lines taken from ‘“What Is Your Idle Job?’” by Ace Bogess: “Then it’s back to the office for coffee / tasting like gasoline, maybe a doughnut on the sly” he writes. “If my boss pops over, checking my progress, / I greet him with a good-natured pat on the back / to wipe the sticky glaze from my fingertips.” Lawyer-poems can be philosophical, concrete, their form may arise naturally or like Mark C. Bruce’s “Plea Bargain, June 29,” they may borrow a classical shape, like the 19-line villanelle. Over 100 pages are dedicated to poetry, written by both non-lawyers and lawyers. The last 50-60 pages include reviews and essays exploring poetry and poetry books, and two conversations by Alan Fox, one with David St. John and one with Alan Shapiro, discussing the experience of writing and reading poetry. The tribute page and cover photo, by nationally recognized award-winning fine art photographer Eric L. Hansen, reveals the side of a building and a small window. A face barely discernible looks out from behind bars.
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