Ask The Author: Ocean Vuong

In October, these Three Poems by Ocean Vuong were a wonderful addition.

1. Why are poets making everything pregnant? What would the episode of Maury figuring out who and who is not the father of these pregnant metaphors be like?

I have not watched Maury so I am not 100% sure what the show is about. But for me, every poem is like a pregnancy. I nurture each one, I infuse them with my life force until the water breaks and I sit at my desk sweating until I’m either very proud or full of regret…

2. What 80s/90s pop star would you want to the audio version of “I Touch Myself”?

Whitney Houston. Hands-down.

3. What are you good at drawing?

Super Mario clouds.

4. How has the alphabet saved you from becoming an animal? Does it also allow you to tap into your more primal side?

It hasn’t. But it has saved me from having to work physically laborious jobs, except for when I worked on a tobacco farm when I was fifteen, which made me feel closest to an ox or buffalo. Language does make me feel a bit more primal, especially language in the context of poetry. I think that poetry, in a way, is a very intense and beautiful grunt.

5. Why did you write these poems?

Because I was very lonely and terribly afraid…

6. How do you mourn for the living?

By reminding yourself that every person you meet has worn out “at least one hundred angels.”