The Mirrormaker. Brian Laidlaw

       THE MIRRORMAKER

      ALSO BY BRIAN LAIDLAW

       The Stuntman

       THE MIRRORMAKER

       POEMS

       BRIAN LAIDLAW

      MILKWEED EDITIONS

      © 2018, Text by Brian Laidlaw

      All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher: Milkweed Editions, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415.

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       milkweed.org

      Published 2018 by Milkweed Editions

      Printed in the United States

      Cover design by Mary Austin Speaker

      Cover photo by Chris Morgan

      Author photo by Colin Copp

      18 19 20 21 22 5 4 3 2 1

       First Edition

      Milkweed Editions, an independent nonprofit publisher, gratefully acknowledges sustaining support from the Jerome Foundation; the Lindquist & Vennum Foundation; the McKnight Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Target Foundation; and other generous contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Also, this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, and a grant from Wells Fargo. For a full listing of Milkweed Editions supporters, please visit milkweed.org.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

      Names: Laidlaw, Brian, 1983- author.

      Title: The mirrormaker : poems / Brian Laidlaw.

      Description: First edition. | Minneapolis, Minnesota : Milkweed Editions, 2018.

      Identifiers: LCCN 2018013310 (print) | LCCN 2018033568 (ebook) | ISBN 9781571319487 (ebook) | ISBN 9781571314840 (pbk. : alk. paper)

      Classification: LCC PS3612.A397 (ebook) | LCC PS3612.A397 A6 2018 (print) | DDC 811/.6--dc23

      LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018013310

      Milkweed Editions is committed to ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book production practices with this principle, and to reduce the impact of our operations in the environment. We are a member of the Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the world’s endangered forests and conserve natural resources. The Mirrormaker was printed on acid-free 30% postconsumer-waste paper by Versa Press.

      To Ash

      CONTENTS

      I.

       Echo’s Ailments

       Hatches

       Iron Ironworker

       Twin Brothers Drowning in a Flooded Ore Pit

       The Sparrows

       Medicine Cabinet Inventory

       The Dinosaurs

       Echo’s Impressions

       Upstate Mothers

       Playtime Empire

       The Golden Rule of Copyright

       Dark Sides

      II.

       Echo’s Theory

       Holster, Upholster

       Dead Pony Recapitulation

       Fractal

       Chevron

       They Found a Wolf

       Echo’s Prom

       No Anemics

       Anechoic

      III.

       Echo’s Diagnosis

       Returning to the Sycamore

       Blood Orange

       Blood Orange

       Echo’s Prognosis

       Assumption Hall

       Prelude

       Song

       [I will make a space for you]

       Canopy Fire

       The Farrier’s File

       [i am laughing convulsively]

       Cherry Bomb

       Assay

       Echo’s Halloween

       Blood Orange

       Echo’s Dreams

       If Earth

       Epilogue

       [The place I love is burning]

       Acknowledgments

       Liner Notes

      He didn’t