A Primer for the Small Weird Loves

Richard Siken’s poem “A Primer for the Small Weird Loves” was published in his first poetry collection, Crush (2005). It is a prose poem, consisting of seven numbered segments (one can call them stanzas, even though they lack formal metrical structure) that are loosely connected by thematic repetition and reiterated images, phrases, and emotions. Like the whole collection, the poem is about gay male desire, hope, and heartbreak. More specifically, “A Primer for the Small Weird Loves” explores the consequences of internalized anti-gay bias on the romantic and sexual experiences of a gay man who is attracted to aggressive men and struggles with an ongoing ambivalence about his ability to love and be loved.

Be advised that the poem depicts sexual violence.

Poet Biography

Richard Siken was born in New York City in 1967 and lives in Tucson, Arizona. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and Master of Fine Arts in poetry from the University of Arizona. In addition to being an accomplished poet, Siken is a painter, filmmaker, and a co-founding editor at Spork Press. He has also worked as a social worker.

Crush, Siken’s first book of poetry, won the 2004 Yale Series of Younger Poets prize and was published by Yale University Press in 2005.