Robert L. Penick
In addition to Sheila-Na-Gig, the poetry and prose of Robert L. Penick have appeared in well over 200 different literary journals, including The Hudson Review, North American Review, Plainsongs, and Oxford Magazine. The Art of Mercy: New and Selected Poems is now available from Hohm Press, and more of his work can be found at theartofmercy.net
Kafka’s Back
Kafka’s in the back of the cafe again,
scribbling the nib of his pen to dust.
He doesn’t have an idea, never will,
but this compulsion within him insists
that he pull some meaning from the fragments
of a disordered, irrational world.
Kafka drinks hot chocolate for his gut.
It seems to comfort his mind as well.
A few more stars appear in his sky.
A few shards disappear from the gutter.
If he could get beyond the absurd cliches
he could make a map of the broken world.
