Category Archives: personal essay

What is a Man?

Posted on September 2, 2021 by Mark Kerstetter

Part One Having recently stumbled across the film When Nietzsche Wept (I enjoyed it) and encountered the idea—again—that Thus Spoke Zarathustra is his most popular book—some say his best—I felt like leaving this note here about why I think it … Continue reading →

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A New Reading of John Ashbery’s Three Poems

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Mark Kerstetter

A CLEAN COPY There are books that fall on you like a building. You’ve survived but you’ll never forget where you were standing when it happened. I was 25 when I read John Ashbery’s Three Poems, about to turn 26. … Continue reading →

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A Story About Time or Why I Wear a Mechanical Watch Every Day

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Mark Kerstetter

When I was a kid I liked wristwatches and had a couple of Timex hand-winders in my possession. One, a small plain white dial piece with Arabic indices and a strap of gray with black speckles, I liked to wear … Continue reading →

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Lot 74: Derek Bailey

Posted on May 26, 2020 by Mark Kerstetter

inner spacea bricoleur’s placeattitude of adjustmentwhere one standshappenstancemeans at handany given timesuspend attentionon a blank sheetbetween cacheand vagary anydiscrete objectin the cosmosterms of contactmomentby momentimprovisejoin my danceDerek archspirit Baileymy first listena school librarya smile a record widemy friend spun the … Continue reading →

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Song of the Mock Turtles

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Mark Kerstetter

From September 1st to December 31st of last year I kept a stuck tune diary, a journal of all of the sticky tunes that visited me, particularly tunes that I awoke with already playing in my head. Of the 122 … Continue reading →

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Anger Is an Energy

Posted on July 3, 2018 by Mark Kerstetter

Anger is an energy –John Lydon Once when I was going through a crisis I sought advice from an older friend. He told me, “Emotions are never wrong.” That may be a platitude (it sounds like one) but I had … Continue reading →

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Cold Brains

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Mark Kerstetter

The idea has crept into my mind that time wears at a person until the point comes when they’re ready for it to be over—they want it to end. Or don’t care if it ends. I also have the idea—true … Continue reading →

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On Illness as Metaphor

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Mark Kerstetter

Note: I wrote the following earlier this year and for obscure reasons didn’t want to share it then. Now, with the publication of my cancer related poems, the time is right.   A quick scan of the reviews of Susan … Continue reading →

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The Day I Met Leroy Jenkins

Posted on December 17, 2016 by Mark Kerstetter

I am gratified to Jonathan Penton of Unlikely Stories Mark V for welcoming three of my noisier more biting poems. Is It Too Soon? is most recent, written shortly after and in response to our infamous November 8th election. I … Continue reading →

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Sometimes You’re the Bug

Posted on November 24, 2015 by Mark Kerstetter

I’ve been singing The Bug while I do my work lately. It started with needing to replace a piece of trim on the carriage house (fancy word for garage). Uncovering one piece of wasted wood revealed another, and then others. … Continue reading →

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