The Language in Question
defying gravity after all // isn’t the same as flying
after all // are you thinking of hurting yourself
isn’t the same as are you thinking // you might kill
yourself // we must be confident being more
direct // an X drawn in orange on a tree trunk
one morning it was there // 30 feet of maple
gone by the time I came back home // the city
gave me no choice // sometimes we have no choice
and warning signs can go unnoticed // until I didn’t
think they were serious // they wanted attention
didn’t mean it sometimes it doesn’t hurt // death
feels like a solution // sometimes it hurts so much
after all // you are thinking of hurting yourself no
you are thinking of hurting // other people not us
walking a gorge late…
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The American Poetry Review (Digital) - 1 Issue, September/October 2020