In the Pockets of the Raincoat Hart Crane Borrowed for His Jump

for Eric


A passenger on the Orizaba, soaked by a sudden squall, drinks mojitos
   in the bar, baffled, his caballero shirt molded

to his ribs, mourning the loss of his raincoat—its wide collar, double
   rows of buttons, cinched belt and pleated drape—a present

from his wife. Oh, no, tucked in the breast pocket, his present
   for her—a Mexican silver and turquoise necklace—now lost

beneath turquoise and silver waves. Why hadn’t he emptied
   his pockets before handing his coat to that drunk in pajamas?

He treasured the pockets he filled with his treasures: keys
   on the chain his grandfather gave him, his lucky clover charm,

business cards of men who would soon make him rich, the address
   of a girl who stirred such guilt he bought the necklace

for his wife (who will wonder why his ship is late as lifeboats search
   for a poet they’ll never find), a new pack of Chesterfields,

and an unfinished roll of Life Savers®. His favorites at the bottom—lime
   and pineapple.



Note: The borrowed raincoat is referenced by Jim Harrison in his poem “North American Image Cycle” from The Shape of the Journey: New and Collected Poems and is the subject of Eric Paul Shaffer’s poem “Hart Crane’s Borrowed Raincoat” (The North American Review, Vol 298, No.
3, Summer 2013). Ironically, Hart Crane’s father was the inventor of Life Saver® candy.

Sara Backer’s first book of poetry, Such Luck, follows two chapbooks: Scavenger Hunt, and Bicycle Lotus, which won the Turtle Island Chapbook Award. Her honors include a prize in the Plough Poetry Competition, nine Pushcart nominations, and fellowships from the Norton Island and Djerassi resident artist programs. Recent publications include Lake Effect, Slant, CutBank Online, Kenyon Review, Poetry Northwest, and Poetry Ireland. She currently lives in New Hampshire and reads for The Maine Review.