—after Louise Glück’s “October”
Violence has changed
me something beautiful
worldly, not comfortable
living in a mouth
I’ve long made habit
of pulling off my skin
by the forearm
at night
joining the arteries
of lapping tongues and hardened wounds.
I’ve found joy
meditating on the quality
of my self served stigmatas
fracturing the columns
of holy books
An owl opens its mouth
a church bell climbs out
akimbo
She has learned
to tightrope in the dark
Copyright © 2025 by Gia Anansi-Shakur. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on April 3, 2025, by the Academy of American Poets.
