{"id":2049,"date":"2022-04-28T09:55:01","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T13:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/?page_id=2049"},"modified":"2022-04-29T11:35:38","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T15:35:38","slug":"off-roading","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/off-roading\/","title":{"rendered":"Off-roading"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Advent Pro||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″]<\/p>\n

Off-roading<\/b><\/h1>\n

Michal ‘MJ’ Jones<\/h3>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||-2px|||” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Josefin Slab||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”1.2em” custom_padding=”|0px||0px||”]<\/p>\n

    <\/ol>\n

    We gather in the desert<\/span><\/p>\n

    my head spins its way past stars<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Cozy, I could watch this same twilight<\/span><\/p>\n

    clustered sunset for a millennium<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    But you aren\u2019t so current as much<\/span><\/p>\n

    as river rushing \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    you\u2019ve got gumption to pack\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    as many supernovas into this thin life<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    & so I have my becoming unpackaged\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    tossed & crumbled behind some reddish country road<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    I barrel down<\/span><\/p>\n

    a path until there is none<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    for each tiptoe on the petal\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    a bloom & sputter in my heart<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    as the Jeep jostles \/ throttles &<\/span><\/p>\n

    bangs up a cloud staircase into soft ether<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Offroads erode my stepping stones, my kite rings \u2013<\/span><\/p>\n

    we\u2019re just wild saguaro & ocotillo overgrowth<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    I drive along our living laughter\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    ready to upchuck my gravitas<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    your palm on my neck, your love<\/span><\/p>\n

    a root that settles my stomach<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    At the end of this desert road \u2013 or maybe<\/span><\/p>\n

    in the expanse of its middle<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    I will stand, shoulders sure & tucked<\/span><\/p>\n

    with outstretched hands<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Walk to me & pull us<\/span><\/p>\n

    into that blue abandon sweeping the sky.<\/span><\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Josefin Slab||||||||” text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”16px”]<\/p>\n

    Michal \u2018MJ\u2019 Jones<\/strong> is a Pushcart Prize nominated poet & parent in Oakland, CA. Their poems have appeared in Anomaly, Borderlands Texas Poetry Review<\/em>, & TriQuarterly Review<\/em>. Their debut poetry collection HOOD VACATIONS<\/span> is forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press in 2023. Twitter: @JustSayMJ<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_3,1_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|auto|-100px|auto||” custom_padding=”0px||0px|||”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Color-Print-Logo-with-full-text-1.jpg&#8221<\/a>; title_text=”Color-Print-Logo-with-full-text-1″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” positioning=”relative” vertical_offset=”50px”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ncwn-logo.jpg&#8221<\/a>; title_text=”ncwn-logo” _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” positioning=”relative” vertical_offset=”50px”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_signup provider=”mailpoet” mailpoet_list=”Variant Literature|3″ title=”Subscribe to our Newsletter” _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” form_field_background_color=”#000000″ form_field_text_color=”#FFFFFF” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#000000″ background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#000000″ button_bg_color=”#FFFFFF” button_border_width=”6px” button_border_color=”#000000″ button_border_radius=”20px”][\/et_pb_signup][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”81px||4px|||”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.9.10″ _module_preset=”default”]<\/p>\n

    \u00a9 Variant Literature Inc 2021<\/em><\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Off-roading Michal ‘MJ’ Jones We gather in the desert my head spins its way past stars Cozy, I could watch this same twilight clustered sunset for a millennium But you aren\u2019t so current as much as river rushing \u2013 you\u2019ve got gumption to pack\u00a0 as many supernovas into this thin life & so I have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":159740901,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"

    [et_pb_section fb_built=\"1\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\"][et_pb_row _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\"][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\"][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\" text_font=\"Advent Pro||||||||\" text_text_color=\"#000000\" hover_enabled=\"0\" sticky_enabled=\"0\"]<\/p>

    I am going to tell you how much I like watching movies and reading books until I learn Korean with this found poem in Japanese taken from the Jisho dictionary entry for the type of simple verbs I know in Korean, because I am too chickenshit to actually attend lessons and this is a cry for help because I just wasted more of my life relearning basic Korean for the nth time<\/b><\/h1>

    \u00a0<\/p>

    Maria Picone<\/h3>

    [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=\"1\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\" custom_margin=\"||-2px|||\" custom_padding=\"0px||0px|||\"][et_pb_row _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\" custom_padding=\"0px|||||\"][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\"][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\" text_font=\"Josefin Slab||||||||\" text_text_color=\"#000000\" text_font_size=\"16px\" text_line_height=\"1.2em\" custom_padding=\"|0px||0px||\" hover_enabled=\"0\" sticky_enabled=\"0\"]<\/p>

    1. to see; to look; to watch; to view; to observe\u200b<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

      \u3048\u3044\u304c\u3092\u307f\u305f\u308a\u3001\u307b\u3093\u3092\u3088\u3093\u3060\u308a<\/span><\/p>

      I SEE (that) I am Korean. I FIND (that) I am not Korean.<\/span><\/p>

      1. to examine; to look over; to assess; to check; to judge\u200b<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

        \u304b\u3093\u3053\u304f\u3054\u3092\u307e\u306a\u3073\u306a\u304a\u3057\u3066<\/span><\/p>

        I TRY to learn how to do it all properly, HAVE A GO AT sprinkling Korean identity like gochugaru throughout my life. I GIVE this reclaimed being A TRY.<\/span><\/p>

        1. to look after; to attend to; to take care of; to keep an eye on\u200b<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

          \u3053\u3053\u308d\u306e\u3051\u3093\u3053\u3046<\/span><\/p>

          I EXPERIENCE sweat-soaked nightmares of translating word for otherword to some stern songsaengnim\u2019s disapproval. I MEET WITH standards that size me up or down until I am never enough.<\/span><\/p>

          1. to experience; to meet with (misfortune, success, etc.)\u200b<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

            \u304b\u3093\u3053\u304f\u306b\u3044\u305f\u3053\u3068\u304c\u3042\u308b\u3093<\/span><\/p>

            I LOOK AFTER the erased self blotted into my shadow. I ATTEND TO this Korean body\u2019s wants, needs, last. I TAKE CARE OF this Easter basket of microaggressions I pulled on scavenger hunt; I KEEP AN EYE ON their innocuous pastels, waiting for dragons to hatch.<\/span><\/p>

            1. to try ...; to have a go at ...; to give ... a try<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

              \u304b\u3093\u3053\u304f\u3054\u3092\u307e\u306a\u3093\u3067\u307f\u305f<\/span><\/p>

              I EXAMINE the quaver of my vocal cords, interrogating the integrity of the basic equipment. I LOOK OVER old materials in an attempt to remember han. I ASSESS the nervous chill at the nape of my neck; I CHECK my audio quality. I JUDGE myself, and, as in clich\u00e9, find wanting.<\/span><\/p>

              1. to see (that) ...; to find (that) ...\u200b<\/span><\/li><\/ol>

                \u3058\u3085\u3046\u3076\u3093\u306b\u306a\u308b\u3053\u3068\u306f\u3067\u304d\u306a\u3044<\/span><\/p>

                I SEE the delicate letters for the first time, the geometry of failure in right angles. I LOOK into the abyss of my misunderstanding; I WATCH my soul augment, infarct, grovel. I VIEW many beginner videos like impressionist clouds passing me by. I OBSERVE my lips and jaw \u200bforming a note of pure multivocal truth in this muddled world.<\/span><\/p>

                [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\"][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\"][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\" text_font=\"Josefin Slab||||||||\" text_text_color=\"#000000\" text_font_size=\"16px\"]V. Joshua Adams<\/strong> is the author of a chapbook, <\/span>Cold Affections<\/span><\/i> (Plan B Press, 2018). Work of his has appeared or is forthcoming in Bennington Review, Posit, Painted Bride Quarterly, Tupelo Quarterly, and elsewhere. A former editor of Chicago Review, as well as a translator and critic, he teaches literature and writing at the University of Louisville. Follow him on Twitter @vjoshuaadams<\/span>
                [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=\"1_3,1_3,1_3\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\" custom_margin=\"|auto|-100px|auto||\" custom_padding=\"0px||0px|||\"][et_pb_column type=\"1_3\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\"][et_pb_image src=\"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Color-Print-Logo-with-full-text-1.jpg\" title_text=\"Color-Print-Logo-with-full-text-1\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\" positioning=\"relative\" vertical_offset=\"50px\"][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\"1_3\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\"][et_pb_image src=\"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ncwn-logo.jpg\" title_text=\"ncwn-logo\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\" positioning=\"relative\" vertical_offset=\"50px\"][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=\"1_3\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\"][et_pb_signup provider=\"mailpoet\" mailpoet_list=\"Variant Literature|3\" title=\"Subscribe to our Newsletter\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\" form_field_background_color=\"#000000\" form_field_text_color=\"#FFFFFF\" header_text_align=\"center\" header_text_color=\"#000000\" background_color=\"#FFFFFF\" custom_button=\"on\" button_text_color=\"#000000\" button_bg_color=\"#FFFFFF\" button_border_width=\"6px\" button_border_color=\"#000000\" button_border_radius=\"20px\"][\/et_pb_signup][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\" custom_padding=\"81px||4px|||\"][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\" _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\"][et_pb_text _builder_version=\"4.9.10\" _module_preset=\"default\"]<\/p>

                \u00a9 Variant Literature Inc 2021<\/em><\/p>

                [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2049","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PdfuLj-x3","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/159740901"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2049"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2105,"href":"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2049\/revisions\/2105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/variantlit.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}