Read the winning piece of our 2025 Nonfiction Contest “Through the Mirror” by Jessie Cato selected by Lucy Ives.

Read

Winter 2000 • Vol. XXII No. 1 • Poetry |

Venice Despoiled by Time

Still merchant seaman, still whore!
There comes a point where you make us pay
to go any further, even in church.
So much to lift the skirt, so much to see

the Byzantine booty behind the high altar.
Saints from the east, trapped in fligree,
eye the son of God as he enters the city.
The ass picks its way through precious stones,

Already have an account? Log in

Join KR for even more to read.

Sign up for a free account and read any five pieces a month.
Sign Up and Read for Free



Or become a subscriber today and get complete, immediate access to our digital archives at every subscription level.
Debora Greger’s most recent book of poetry is Western Art, published by Penguin in fall 2004.

Read More

Snake Bird

By Debora Greger

after William Bartram, 1776 All over Florida, there is a curious species they call the snake bird. Is it on Chinese screens or in some India pictures that I have […]

Upcoming
Workshops

Subscribe

Your free registration with The Kenyon Review includes access to exclusive content, early access to program registration, and more.

Donate

With your support, we’ll continue 
to cultivate talent and publish extraordinary literature from diverse voices around the world.