New poem with Lowell setting in the latest issue of The Café Review in Portland, Maine, which has been around for a long time. I have three poems in this issue, and have been in the magazine previously. Kudos to them for keeping the magazine alive. The CR has interviews, book reviews, poetry, and artwork in each issue. Order the new issue at Yes Books, 589 Congress St, Portland ME 04101 for $15 ($60 for 4 issues a year). — PM

Pork Pie Hat

On a plain Wednesday,

Late in a winter that wasn’t rough,

In the city just waking up,

Slouched in a black raincoat

And tilted gray pork pie hat,

The hospital chief lifts a coffee mug

To his lips and George Washington teeth.

The diner is full of men who could be

Doctors, candlemakers, teachers, mechanics.

They burp and spread sports pages

Over toast crusts on yolk-smeared plates.

High school Girl Officers will show up later,

Four in a booth or a pair at the counter.

Always open, the caboose car pulls eaters

Via the red rooftop neon sign glowing

Like an electric stove ring set to medium.

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–Paul Marion (c) 2026