The Poetry Project

Foxglove

Ryan Skrabalak

Stairs gamble silver on silver this eve
doppler I whisk such Istrian glass traffic
bucking wet lips o fantasy reprieve
I am simply waiting for thrumming
men and endless whiskys please be nice
xxxxxxThis time I am knocking around
xxxunfortunate corners, attempting virginity
to knit myself in a certain facet
thunder-fed and maniacally dripping oil
from the deepest yawn of the lake, honey
where we're going there is no lake
peeling your grammar from the sky
to cry out for you, your peach alkaline
hands you slide into me like dope
the dobro of the old gemmy valley
xxxxxfalling in love with the river,
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxthe silt's orchid mirrors,
xxxxxxlucinda williams unravel-
xxxxxxxxxxxxing orogeny
xxxxxxxxxxxxthey don't evoke
xxxxxxxxxthe infinite but we do broken
xxxxxxwhen rain, bakelite arabic
if blue blurred gold, call in question when
observed on bodega dust they don't count
kisses in bars or save baby leeks plucked
but we do when pushed to the wall, we bruise
them back when returned, the profound
garden ramblesxxxxxwe knew august hottest
stripped in green stream, stole air
for walks, hollered at men (if men,
run) when lovely, demerol courtyard
pulls navel to amber, a triptych of elms
xxxxxbatters halfway salmon run
xxxxxxto somewhere, ruby shibari
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxperigee sottovoce
xxxxxxrounding
xxxxxxxxxxxxwesterly light
xxxxxxspun drizzled sharp bias of air
xxxxxxsorry Thursday they don't check
xxxxxxxxxxxxsweet creases high thighs
xxxxxxxxxfor ticks, but we do we don't
have time for pillows, we flood we bend
each other's sex chromatic ripe we don't
scar we bleed rainier cherries eat 3,4
methylenedioxymethamphetamine,
when summer tigers, autocorrected
smogxxxxwhen world is sugar, fingers,
semen, prisms when preserved,
xxxxxxyou enter xxxxxxthis year
xxxxxxxxxxxxvaguely xxxup-cycled
xxxxxxstardust, the table
xxxxxxxxxxxxset in the reactor core
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxthe panting hours
xxxxxxwhen tumid, foist land
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxwhen all I do is cry,
xxxxxxswerve north, keep going
you take good care, sugar the lemonade
when among cities please suggest our house
when glitter, preen and swoop, we roll
xxthe quick baroque ice-punk
xxxxxxxxpink fleeced daybreak splits
o they don't like to call us
men? but do we?xxxxxwhen moon, swiftly
lorded aspens xxo what menxxxxnew blood
xxxxxbeaucoup stellium, softly glowing
xxxxxxfaggots
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxmemorize
xxxxxxxxxxxxthe sequinned poxy
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxweather, give skin for intent
xxxxxwe sour for birds and soft necks
all the gum in the world on flatbush avenue
dressed pastel heavenxxxwhere I dragged myself
to the water, o city concrete andxxxsweet, sincere
from the recesses of my heartxxxxxxI'm back

Work from My Smutty Valentine: Queer Kinships and the Poetics of Smut with Anchoress Syndicate

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