William Taylor Jr. lives and writes in San Francisco. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, and a volume of fiction. His work has been published widely in literary journals, including Rattle, ...

When They Finally Come for You Darling please stay alive for a little while more if only because I’m asking nice your feral madness a wildfire in the void you shame the silence with the music of your ...

by William Taylor Jr. What the People Want All the people want is the saddest songthey’ve ever knownplaying on repeat at 3 a.m.and someone’s assurancethat their failings are predestinedan…

Poem for the New YearIt’s the first week of Februaryand in my neighborhood all theChristmas trees are still upand shimmering in the windowsof the houses and apartment buildings.Strings of bli…

January 8th, 2025California Poets: Part VIIIWilliam Taylor Jr.Three PoemsA Photograph I Want to Paint The end times have found uson a Sunday afternoon in September as we loll about these afterthought ...

Speaker Noise It was Bakersfield, circa 1985.We were misfits in black,high school and college dropouts,jobless as often as not.Scared of girls,scared of boys,scared of most everythingthe world had …

I’m sitting at a table outside of Mr. Bing’s and an aging biker chick sidles up

~ ONE ART’s Top 10 Most-Read Poets of February 2025 ~ Allison Blevins Alison Hurwitz Wendy Drexler Joyce Sutphen Roseanne Freed Lisa Badner Ariel Tovlev Susan Vespoli William Taylor Jr. Joseph Chel…

Your Stupid Heart Hey friend, tell mewhat’s left  of your stupid heart. I want to knowwhat music is yet within you, what secret joy untrodden, what scrap of beauty you’ve kept hidden fr…

Why We Sing The universe is forever indifferent to our sorrow and this is why we make a music of it. We are god-forgotten and this is why we dance the way we do why we reach for fire and other thin…