ODE TO JOLENE | SHERMAN ALEXIE There is no lyric more painful than this: “He talks about you in his sleep.” That’s tragic shit. Dolly Parton’s song roars with need And envy. It’s a fist---no, it’s a kick To the crotch. Can you imagine how it feels To beg a romantic rival To not steal Your lover? Have you been defiled Like that? Have you ever been that peeled And husked? Have you ever been that exposed? How do any of us find the strength To remove our clothes And give away the width, depth, and breadth Of our fragile bodies and finite souls When we can be so easily replaced By a new lover? By the next Prettier face? By the one who offers better sex? By the one who fucks with more or less grace? Dear God, it hurts to listen to this song. It makes one fall to one’s knees In fear of infidelity: Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do me wrong. Dear God, this song is more like a death scream: There is a pale daughter Riding in for the slaughter, And her name is Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene. She is the fire that burns between us. She is the redhead, green-eyed witch Who preaches and teaches us this: Dolly Parton is a heartbreaking genius. Dear God, thank you for Dolly’s white blues--- For music that stays unafraid To lament the relentless ways In which we lose and lose and lose and lose. Census...> Sherman Alexie is the winner of the 2007 National Book Award for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, his first young adult novel. His most recent books are the novel Flight and a collection of poems, Face. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two sons. See Dolly Parton sing “Jolene”...>Sherman_Alexie_Census.htmlhttp://www.fallsapart.com/truediary.htmhttp://www.fallsapart.com/truediary.htmhttp://www.hangingloosepress.com/newtitles.htmlSherman_Alexie_Dolly_Parton_Jolene_Video.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4
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WINTER 2010 COVER THREE POEMS SHERMAN ALEXIE INCIDENT IN A TRAVEL AGENT’S EDWARD MC WHINNEY QUESTIONS ANNA POTTER THE ROCK, A DOUBLE ABECEDARIAN LEAH WELBORN ALLEGORY KIKI PETROSINO THE SAW LADY ALEX CIGALE REVIEWS WITOLD GOMBROWICZ ANDREW ZAWACKI J.D. ABEL KEVIN GOODAN FRANCESCA KAY BEN YAGODA JESSIE LENDENNIEWinter_2010.htmlSherman_Alexie_Sharona.htmlSherman_Alexie_Sharona.htmlEdward_Mc_Whinney_Travel_Agents.htmlEdward_Mc_Whinney_Travel_Agents.htmlAnna_Potter_Questions.htmlAnna_Potter_Questions.htmlLeah_Welborn_The_Rock.htmlLeah_Welborn_The_Rock.htmlKiki_Petrosino_Allegory.htmlKiki_Petrosino_Allegory.htmlAlex_Cigale_Saw_Lady.htmlAlex_Cigale_Saw_Lady.htmlReviews_2010.htmlGombrowicz_Pornographia.htmlZawacki_Petals.htmlAbel_Epitaphs.htmlGoodan_Winter_Tenor.htmlFrancesca_Kay_Equal_Stillness.htmlBen_Yagoda_Memoir.htmlPoetry_Lendennie.htmlshapeimage_5_link_0shapeimage_5_link_1shapeimage_5_link_2shapeimage_5_link_3shapeimage_5_link_4shapeimage_5_link_5shapeimage_5_link_6shapeimage_5_link_7shapeimage_5_link_8shapeimage_5_link_9shapeimage_5_link_10shapeimage_5_link_11shapeimage_5_link_12shapeimage_5_link_13shapeimage_5_link_14shapeimage_5_link_15shapeimage_5_link_16shapeimage_5_link_17shapeimage_5_link_18shapeimage_5_link_19shapeimage_5_link_20