The Owl
—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.
“I wrote ‘The Owl’ after hearing Louise Glück read “October” for the first time. I was awestruck by the words. They made me feel immense and small simultaneously. ‘The Owl’ is a poem about survival and the death of superficial consciousness.”
—Gia Anansi-Shakur
Gia Anansi-Shakur
Gia Anansi-Shakur is an African American and Caribbean writer, visual artist, and gallery curator. She earned her BA in creative writing from the State University of New York at Purchase and is enrolled in the City College of New York’s creative writing MFA program. She lives in New York City.