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Stella Reed: I once believed my body

September 7, 2022 by PBQ Leave a Comment

was a descendant of trees 

my foremothers the branches 

that bore my blossoming weight my

forefathers birds that scattered seed 

 

where water was a dream 

where they rowed with my breath

in their mouth 

 

on the shore a stag 

one antler branching the sky 

the absence of the other 

a memory. 

 

My body curls in on itself 

just so skin can touch skin 

 

I want to be more animal 

more 

 

but cannot remember the last 

person whose fingers grazed me 

 

the lack of touch 

unstitches flesh 

 

            O how the feathers 

in the Sharp-shin’s beak 

ruin the mouth for song.

Filed Under: Issue 102, Poetry, Poetry 102 Tagged With: Stella Reed

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