The Poetry Project

Arthur

Arley Sakai

Arthur,

he was bad

at making his bed,

the only thing he had

to do. Even his evolution

endowed him the talent to

weave his needs together,

threading ledges closer

with the stability of

a linear path.

But no,

his bed resembled

a shattered floor tile instead,

laying nights over months to pave

an unpassable hallway. It wasn’t enough

to know how to repeat patterns until

they provided the shape of home.

He expected ............................ an aegis

to appear first, so he waited

in silence until boredom

drew his knees to

failure, fluid

with the flavor of a foul honey

administered to an ignorant creature.

The intaken honey subdued uncertainty,

not the thing he truly desired ............................ to be

safe in the cradle of any orderly context,

all lines converging at the contact of

his body, his body confirmed

by the closeness of others,

yes, loved forever

in his web.

But no,

his bed rests

in development, laying

nights over months until

sick of ...................... home

he seeks construct

ions of dysfunct

i on with out

his wits

Ha

Hot Foul

Remedy Fuck

on floors in short amber

waves sleeping away he gets

sick ........ once again unsure

of the saccharine traps

he intended to take

for distractions

increase

with

o ut

caution

tiles pile on

pylons of com

munication coming

down sunrise up sunset

sleeping a wake he gets

sick once ............ to be

enough laughing at

his absent spiral

too honey

high to

differ

enti

ate

his

home

from the

horrifying

white lines

white lines

white ... lines

wh ........ ite lines

white lin ........ es

w ....... hi ....... te line . s

w hite . line .... s

white li . nes

white lines

............................. lines

white lines

white,

#280 – Spring 2025