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Nostalgia For The Future
Like each of us, Djanikian keeps re-realizing that to be alive is deeply dangerous. “Sometimes the earth’s a desert of promise, / the world-soul damaged, dream-cities ruined.” The world is cosmically scary, so we need at least “a surprise / to make you think / it’s not all ruthless / even as the shots ring out / in the heart of the city.” Beyond that, we have to believe in some ongoing meaning in our lives — so each day we suspect “Whatever has a surface has a deeper meaning.” We keep looking for ways to accept life; when Djanikian finds a way, his acceptance is more grateful than skeptical. “Never pass up a good time, history tells me, / and I’m breathing in that crazy oxygen.” His generously readable poems help us feel that life is livable, full of ache but also of possibility.
–Mark Halliday