Lauren Mallett
Caesura in the Thoracic Age
I clean the bathroom. You sweep the floors.
You mow the lawn. I seal the windows.
You say, is the sun shining on you?
I hear, is this song turning you on?
You’re the Philosophy. I’m the Letters.
I watch you replace the suet. Shoo begone
the squirrels. You don’t believe in privacy.
I’ve had my identity stolen. You don’t believe
in a rug unto carpet. I believe it has the potential
to look nice. You unplug in a storm. I roll over.
Say don’t worry. You count the seconds
between lightning and thunder. I’m looking.
What at, you ask. The door. You frenetic
you furrow. I ask, can we turn down the neuroses?
You quiet. I see. I’ve gone and hurt you
with my poem. I love your nose. What if
our bed was a boat? You’re the dog. I’m the cat.
Are we on the Columbia? I’m curled
in your haunch. You make a joke. I have a feeling.
You’re on trial. We the bundle of birds.
I’m the tribunal. The apology.
The party brought by seed.
You mow the lawn. I seal the windows.
You say, is the sun shining on you?
I hear, is this song turning you on?
You’re the Philosophy. I’m the Letters.
I watch you replace the suet. Shoo begone
the squirrels. You don’t believe in privacy.
I’ve had my identity stolen. You don’t believe
in a rug unto carpet. I believe it has the potential
to look nice. You unplug in a storm. I roll over.
Say don’t worry. You count the seconds
between lightning and thunder. I’m looking.
What at, you ask. The door. You frenetic
you furrow. I ask, can we turn down the neuroses?
You quiet. I see. I’ve gone and hurt you
with my poem. I love your nose. What if
our bed was a boat? You’re the dog. I’m the cat.
Are we on the Columbia? I’m curled
in your haunch. You make a joke. I have a feeling.
You’re on trial. We the bundle of birds.
I’m the tribunal. The apology.
The party brought by seed.
Biography
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Lauren Mallett’s (she/her/hers) poems appear in Salamander, Passages North, Fugue, RHINO, and other journals. She lives on Oregon’s north coast, formerly the land of the Clatsop people. Find her at www.laurenmallett.com.
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