Helene Mullins - 6 Short Poems (1921-1928)

Forgotten Poems #106 || Reissue #18

    
              —: The Importance of Being :—

       I am but a fragment
       Of the universe.
       Yet I am not so insignificant,
       For without me
       There would be a tiny crevice
       In the great bowl.
    

     
              —: Conundrum :—

       Why do
       Bright pink
       Hollyhocks
       Cast grotesque
       Grey shadows
       Before them
       In the dust?

       Why do
       Opal
       Tinted dreams
       Trail grotesque
       Grey shadows
       After them
       In my life?
      

     
              —: Lavation :—

       Drip . . . drip . . . drip . . .
       Pain trickles down
       Over the edge of my life.
       Already the dampness
       Is causing
       Little crevices
       To appear . . .

       Drip . . . drip . . . drip . . .
       Without cessation,
       Without mitigation . . .
       My life is becoming
       Water-soaked,
       And useless . . .
     

    
              —: Old Attic :—

       My heart is a
           curious place. . . .

       it contains heaps
       of broken things,
       bits of dreams,
       keepsakes of
       lost loves,
       photographs of
       unremembered faces. . . .

       My heart is a
       curious place. . . .
    

    
              —: An Unknown Man :—

       In the narrow confines
       Of thy cool stone coffin,
       Ornate with queer religious texts,
       Thou liest,
       Stiff and unsmiling
       In thy crisp linen bandages,
       A stern challenge
       To the infidels surrounding thee,
       Who, in maudlin pride
       Of their own fantastic creeds,
       Dare to sneer
       At the omnipotent gods
       Who have bestowed upon thee
       This phenomenal mark of their favor.
    

    
              —: The Earth-Dweller :—

       Because I play in the sun,
       Do you think its rays
       Never scorch me?

       Because I laugh at life,
       Do you think it never thrusts
       Its sharp point
       Into my heart?
      

Helene Mullins (1899-1991) was born in New Rochelle, and went on to live most of her adult life in New York City. Contributing editor of the underground arts magazine The Quill. Wrote two novels, Paulus Fy (1924)—in collaboration with her sister Marie Gallegher—and Convent Girl (1929). Published free-verse throughout the 1920s, none of which has previously been collected. Appears to have returned to formal (rhymed) verse in the late 1920s, and went on to publish numerous poetry collections, including Earthbound & Other Poems (1929), Balm in Gillead (1930), and Steams from the Source (1938).

Mullins was also the owner of an underground bookshop in New York: “Does Broadway read? And if so, does it pay for its reading? The answer will soon be known. A tiny book shop has been opened by Helene Mullins… The books she offers for sale are good things. New things which are fine. Nothing of the sensational. We hope she succeeds.” (The Quill, 1923)

     
              For Helene Mullins
                  by Dick Whyte

       particles—atoms—molecules—
       cells—tissues—organs—
       nerves—bones—muscles—

       fatty—bloody—fleshy—
       sack of
       multiplicity—

            o me o my
                 no me no i
                      lo, endlessly
                           becoming we
     

Forgotten Poets Press is very proud to present the first ever full-length book of Helene Mullins’ free verse and published poetry from the period covering 1921-1928, never before collected. Featuring a set of beautifully restored wood-cuts by Michigan artist Leo Meissner (1895-1977). Available now in paperback ($US14.99) and Kindle (US$4.99).

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