Authors: Raymond Carver
31
PROSSER
:
1st
in
Kayak
[Santa Cruz, Calif.] 28 (1972): 62; in
ANTSM
12.
15 | Ah, but everything is forgotten, almost everything, 1st, ANTSM |
24 | hills / the hills 1st |
26 | still: / still. 1st |
32
AT NIGHT THE SALMON MOVE
: in
ANTSM
14,
Poetry Now
[Eureka, Calif.] 15—18 [3.3—6] (1977): 19; separately published as a broadside (Santa Barbara, Calif.: Capra Press, 1983).
4 | like Foster’s, A&W, and Smiley’s, ANTSM, Poetry Now |
6 | Wright Avenue / Wright ANTSM, Poetry Now |
33
WITH A TELESCOPE ROD ON COWICHE CREEK
: in
NK
[14],
WI
18,
Prism International
[Univ. of British Columbia] 21.2 (Winter 1982): 26. All lines begin with capital letters in
NK
and
WI
.
2 | direction / ambition NK, WI |
7 | pine / the NK, WI |
34
POEM FOR DR PRATT, A LADY PATHOLOGIST
: in
NK
[16—17],
WI
45,
Carolina Quarterly
[Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill] 23.3 (Fall 1971): 48. All lines begin with capital letters in
NK, WI
, and
Carolina Quarterly
.
Title: “Poem for a Lady Pathologist” NK, WI, Carolina Quarterly | |
5 | McCormick / Cormac NK, Carolina Quarterly |
8 | And their disinfectant. They pretend I am not NK, WI, Carolina Quarterly |
11—12 | They embrace. Gradually, |
| The room begins to fill with leaves. |
| I am afraid. NK, WI, Carolina Quarterly |
13 | Sunlight. / Sunlight. I hear sprinklers. NK, WI, Carolina Quarterly |
17—18 | A green desk floats by the window. |
| I begin to void. NK, WI, Carolina Quarterly |
19 | lies / sits NK, WI, Carolina Quarterly |
20 | Of affection, while her tiny NK, WI, Carolina Quarterly |
21 | Probing fingers rummage the endless strings NK, WI |
| Fingers rummage the endless strings Carolina Quarterly |
22 | Of entrails. These considerations aside, NK, WI, Carolina Quarterly |
24 | hands / tiny hands NK, WI |
25 | I’m / I am NK, WI, Carolina Quarterly |
35
WES HARDIN: FROM A PHOTOGRAPH
:
1st
in
Western Humanities Review
[Univ. of Utah] 19.3 (Summer 1965): 223; in
NK
[3—4],
WI
21.
3 | outlaw, / outlaw 1st, NK, WI |
29 | [omitted in 1st, NK, WI ] |
30—1 | but what makes me stare is this large |
| dark bullethole 1st, NK, WI |
33 | right hand. / lefthand. 1st, NK, WI |
36
MARRIAGE
: in
Akros Review
[Univ. of Akron] 5 (Fall 1981): 74—5.
29 | children / children I fear Akros Review |
37
THE OTHER LIFE
: in
Missouri Review
[Univ. of Missouri, Columbia] 3.2 (Winter 1980): 16.
3,5 | scratch, scratch / scratch, scratch Missouri Review |
38
THE MAILMAN AS CANCER PATIENT
:
1st
in
Levee
[Sacramento State Univ.] 2.2 (Jan. 1967): 6—7; in
NK
[9—10],
ANTSM
41,
Tendril
[Green Harbor, Mass.] 11 (Summer 1981): 16. In
Levee
the poem is titled “Ca*”, with a footnote expanding the abbreviation: “*Cancer.”
4 | they’ll hold the job - / they will hold the job, 1st, ANTSM |
| they will hold the job NK |
5 | and, besides, |
| he needed a rest. 1st, NK |
13 | book / book, 1st, NK, ANTSM, Tendril |
16 | yet / and 1st |
| but NK, ANTSM, Tendril |
16—17 | [stanza break between these lines in NK ] |
17 | But sometimes / Yet sometimes NK, ANTSM |
| Sometimes Tendril |
18 | bed / bed, 1st, NK |
22 | for / worst, for 1st |
| worst for NK |
23 | there’s / there is ANTSM, Tendril |
| there is nothing left |
| of them, nothing |
| whole to cling to; it is 1st, NK |
24 | he’d / he had 1st, NK, ANTSM, Tendril |
25 | anywhere, never done anything, 1st, NK |
| never met anybody; 1st |
| never met anybody: NK |
26 | room / now 1st, NK |
27—9 | and he can only press |
| his lips with his fingers |
| and wait to go |
| where the mad blood takes him. 1st |
39
POEM FOR HEMINGWAY & W. C. WILLIAMS
: in
ANTSM
31.
27 | disappear / disappear again ANTSM |
29 | light, / light ANTSM |
40
TORTURE
:
1st
in
Mississippi Review
[Univ. of Southern Mississippi] 21 [7.3] (Fall 1978): 116—17; in
Prism International
[Univ. of British Columbia] 21.2 (Winter 1982): 27.
8—9 | nice people don’t talk about in classrooms. |
| You want to be tied down and moan. |
| You want to tell everything you know. 1st |
14 | and / again and 1st |
31 | wide / the wide 1st |
41
BOBBER
: in
NK
[29],
Quarry West
[Univ. of California, Santa Cruz] 6 (1976): n.p.,
ANTSM
39,
Poetry Now
[Eureka, Calif.] 15—18 [3.3—6] (1977): 19. This poem exists in two early versions. The first version appears in
NK
:
On the Columbia River near Vantage
Washington we fished for whitefish
In the winter months of November,
December, and January; my dad, Swede -
Mr Lindgren—and I. They used belly-reels,
Pencil-lead sinkers, red, yellow, or brown
Whitefish flies baited with maggots.
They wanted distance and they got out there,
Clear out to the edge of the riffle.
I fished in close with a quill bobber
And a cane pole. It was always cold,
Always early in the morning, and
Sometimes the line froze to the guides
after each cast.
My dad kept his maggots alive and warm
Under his lower lip. Mr Lindgren didn’t drink.
I liked him better than my dad for a time.
He let me steer his car, teased me
About my name “Junior,” and one day
Said I would grow into a fine man,
Remember all this, and fish with my own son.
But my dad was right. He just kept silent,
Stroked his chin, and went on
Pissing an arc into the river.
The second version, printed in
Quarry West, ANTSM
, and
Poetry Now
(each with variants), preserves many features of the
NK
text. At the same time, it more closely resembles the version in
Fires
, from which it differs as follows:
2 | Washington, / Washington ANTSM, Poetry Now |
3—4 | in the winter months of November, |
| December, and January; my dad, Swede — |
| Mr Lindgren—and I. They used belly-reels, Quarry |
| West, ANTSM, Poetry Now |
7 | went clear / they got Quarry West, ANTSM, Poetry Now |
8 | to / clear to Quarry West |
| clear out to ANTSM, Poetry Now |
14—16 | about my name “Junior”, and one day |
| said I would grow into a fine man, |
| remember all this, and fish with my own son. Quarry |
| West, ANTSM, Poetry Now |
18—19 | he kept silent, stroked his chin, |
| and went on pissing an arc into the river. Quarry |
| West, ANTSM, Poetry Now |
42
HIGHWAY 99E FROM CHICO
: in
NK
[8],
Midwest Quarterly
[Pittsburg (Kans.) State Univ.] 11.1 (Oct. 1969): 49,
WI
28. All lines begin with capital letters in
NK, Midwest Quarterly
, and
WI
Title: “Highway 99E from Chico: November 1966”
NK, WI
“Highway 99E from Chico: November 1967”
Midwest Quarterly
43
THE COUGAR
:
1st
in
CutBank
[Univ. of Montana, Missoula] 1 (1973): 31; in
ANTSM
28—9. All lines begin with capital letters in
1st
Dedication: | For Keith Wilson and John Haines 1st | ||
| for Keith Wilson and John Haines ANTSM | ||
15 | put it / put ANTSM | ||
24 | Southwest, / Southwest 1st, ANTSM | ||
25 | poet / And all, poet 1st | ||
| and all, poet ANTSM | ||
27 | writer / fiction writer 1st | 32 | me / me 1st, ANTSM |
33 | clear / clean 1st |
44
THE CURRENT
:
1st
in
Levee
[Sacramento State Univ.] 2.2 (Jan. 1967): 4; in
NK
[34],
WI
54,
Sou’wester Literary Quarterly
[Southern Illinois Univ., Edwardsville] Winter 1972:35,
ANTSM
40. This is the only poem that appears in all three of RC’s small-press poetry books:
NK, WI
, and
ANTSM
. In
Levee
the entire poem is set in capital letters.
Title: | “These Fish” Levee, NK, WI, Sou’wester, ANTSM |
3 | that scatter their roe and their milt Levee, NK, WI, |
| Sou’wester, ANTSM |
5—6 | But there is one that comes — |
| heavy, scarred, |
| sightless like the rest, Levee, NK, WI |
| silent like the rest, Sou’wester, ANTSM |
6—7 | [stanza break between these lines in Levee, NK, WI, Sou’wester, ANTSM ] |
7—8 | [no stanza break in Levee, NK, WI, Sou’wester, ANTSM ] |
8—10 | opening and closing its dark mouth |
| against the current. Levee, NK, WI, Sou’wester, ANTSM |
45
HUNTER
: in
NK
[18]; in
Esquire
[New York, NY] 76.1 (July 1971): 14,
ANTSM
27. All flush-left lines begin with capital letters in
NK
and
Esquire.
Tide: “The Hunter”
NK
1 | on top of / here at the very top of NK |
| on top Esquire, ANTSM |
7 | There’s / There is NK, Esquire, ANTSM |
8 | can’t / cannot NK, Esquire, ANTSM |
9 | underwear, / underwear NK, Esquire, ANTSM |
10—11 | [no stanza break in NK ] |
11 | Suddenly, |
| Her hand raises in alarm - NK, Esquire |
| her hand rises in alarm— ANTSM |
14—17 | It is December, three o’clock of a Sunday afternoon. NK |