consider reducing the journey at large— regarding each step and calling out the self

by R L powell



A)

If she writes—she thinks:

 

Budging the brain toward togetherness

will never commute its fearsome mind.

 

manage to another’s distant

brain-mater; ever fall, crown-

first, entire as spontaneous being

a shift and regard yourself as real

and be a second-self.

B)

If the brain can budge a pen

without an ounce of lead—the smallest

shave is made too sharpen its means

to jam the tip and birth a colander

as permeable as a caul of soul,

hung wet, with paper stars—

admit it—now’s the time

 

1. all this cosmos happens. Let it

stay—happened; regardless—

a spinning !dget making an eye

 

confess to the iota that doesn’t

genuine the past. Claim matter

spoons its bend to quanta—

feeling genuine like a chopra

of yoga—that cells might move

generous claims of cents—will agree

bodies are nothing but the money

or will—hates and screws deliverance

calls the new generous—for

for maing the trip—

C)

nothing commendable

has ever made it—

escaping out the news.

 

1.  

▪    in the nerves—everything she called

important, reserved to clumps of dusk—

heaved circles from walls round

slums of stars—"ares of lovers

knuckling insights of their knees

to take from the beloveds’ back.

 

2.   Try and upstart the universe. Some un-

beginning model was foolish enough

to go and contain what’s gone lost

willingly to call the being neutron

ultra-dark, that utters itself as “I”.

D)

She thinks it may be something neural,

There may be a node, that thinks of

where I’ve been uttered to leave

myself, a sanctuary of steps to wander

make my rusted strike a knocker

because “God—

I hope all of it isn’t matter.”

E)

Going on being makes hesitation

such a toil of bothering marks, to leave

and rolls the pause-sticking static

right back. Did I being in this body,

before stepping out the house? I should

set my sleep resolve to a time, have myself

never exist. I only relent equipped

in equal part to eclipse myself.

 

•     There’s nothing else to exasperate desire.

•     Every fraction will eventually oblige

•     to this knoll and balance down—or is it

•     a lawn or vantage leaves? Its subject

•     known—because it doesn’t matter—

 

Precisely—I’m still here.



BIO: R L · powell [he :: they] is a queer, mad writer of poetry & prose—as well as the founding editor of APROSEXIA LIT. He's taught literature and critical theory to undergraduates for several years, and now they’re an MFA candidate at the Bennington Writing Seminars. He's got work in publications such as Haven Spec, the Eunoia Review, The Rumen, Impossible Archetype, with more forthcoming elsewhere—and is working on some sort of manuscript. They feel the world is short on opportunities to engage with the peculiar; invites you to visit aprosexia.org, anytime you'd like; and wants to remind you that you're doing a magnificent of job of being yourself.

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Four Poems

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