Max Heinegg
is an English teacher, recording artist, and brewery owner who lives with his family in Medford, MA. His first book, Good Harbor, won the inaugural Paul Nemser Prize from Lily Poetry Press and was released in March 2022. His poems have appeared in The Cortland Review, 32 Poems, Thrush, Nimrod, and Columbia Poetry Review, among others. Find him on the web @ www.maxheinegg.com
Antlers
In the stag’s notching,
nature blazes this
gauntlet. For autumn
lets brief lords wield
love’s difficult symbols,
that capsule the pulse,
itch. Rubbed against trees,
velvet candelabras
damage cambium.
a weight even victors yield
to winter, when oaks absolve
their leaves, & needful forest
animals gather to appraise
the true bone of skull,
his hard flowers fallen,
crown now aliment.
Troy’s Bucket
Just like The Goonies,
it's assholes up here, kids
in varsity jackets, convertibles,
angling for sex and offering to lower
a bucket to pull you from a wishing well.
Really, there's no time to stay underground
‘til you’re ready—romantic
obstacles are deadlier, but more memorable,
a failure you chose. Crawling out,
while the loaded ship escapes, fortune’s any-
one who splits the purse when you’re all pockets.
Trust me, it's fine to be frightened
the whole way, kissing eyes-closed. Just
stick to the map, the one from your family’s attic
with a legend attached.
You have as good a chance as we did,
before we took the rope.