Poets/Ben Lerner

Ben Lerner

In the collection

5

By any measure, it was endless …

Ben Lerner

jumpsuits, they have changed …

Ben Lerner

The bird’s-eye view abstracted from the bird. Cover me, says the soldier on the screen, I’m going in. We have the sense of being convinced, but of what? And by whom? The public is a hypothetical hole, a realm of pure disappearance, from which celestial matter explodes. I believe I can speak for everyone, begins the president, when I say famous last words. …

Ben Lerner

The predictability of these rooms is, in a word, exquisite. These rooms in a word. The moon is predictably exquisite, as is the view of the moon through the word. Nevertheless, we were hoping for less. Less space, less light. We were hoping to pay more, to be made to pay in public. We desire a flat, affected tone. A beware of dog on keep off grass. The glass ceiling is exquisite. Is it made of glass? No, glass. …

Ben Lerner

There are starving children left on your plate. …

Ben Lerner

OCaptain

An open, typographic collection of the world’s poetry — across every age, language, and voice — rebuilt for quiet, deliberate reading.

Browse

  • Poems
  • Poets
  • The Anthology
  • Articles
  • Audio
  • Glossary of Poetic Terms

The archive

  • 41,493 poems
  • 4,155 poets
  • 207 terms

Help

  • Support
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Delete account

© 2026 O Captain · a collection of the world’s poetry

“He who creates true beauty ever lives.”