Apartment Poetry Quarterly

12A              12B              12C              12D              12E              12F

 

10B Lilly Duffy

[PDF]

 

FORMULA IN WHICH I AM NO LONGER A SUTURE

when I call out                                     to                                        morning  
             I see you                      have turned
                                                                                               
                                                            your quick head               
                                                                                        when I call to you
when in the     air        the desert 
                                                                        wherein           the moon’s      
              gone backwards                                              in the wash-                                                                                                                                 ed out
                                    teeth                of your                                   shining

 

 

to stop talk                                                                                                                          
                                shake muscle        in                     muscle mind                                                            
                                                                connection      
I told you
                                                                       
            your brow is beaten                                                    
                                                                                                     your body
                                                                                    is dying
            trust                                                     the room
your mind                                unspiraling                               onto the floor

 

 

oh                                                                                          small irregular                                                                                                                                                              pain to take         apart
I do not                       like                                                                 to love             
                        torn down                                      
            I walked and walked
                                                                                              took a nail out
your face                                              a little little      bright bone     
              association      
with                 nothing            to dry me                     back up           
                                                                                         after                                                                                             

 

 

go                    stop                 come back                               take the real                                                                                                        into body                                                                                                                                                             eat                   chew                                                                                                    up good
                                                            was one way that quit
            me
                                    as in                                                                  there
                        were multiple 
                                      the sound         is a note                      low high
sweet gone

 

 

                                                                                   
                                                a way
                                   
                                                                                                to say
                                                                                    here once

                                               

                                                                        two                 

                                                                                                lungs