Linda King
monitoring the white count
time and place    disrobe
                                             beyond need
               candle flame
                                                            of language
                                             landfill of eleven dark days
                                                                                                         simple conclusions
in two parts murky water
                                             heart stops               grief reflects
               an expanse
                                                            turn of phrase
                              crawl to the heat
                                             rehearse what you want to say
                                             bring something with feathers
                                             like a new book of poems
every crooked line
                                                            is where you find it
               spent
                                             in winter dread hours
                              pull the strings
                                                            appreciate the gestures
in whispers    and garments
                                                            sewn with tentative consequences
               like the rain                              that remains close to shore
                                             waiting now past December
               patient
                                             patient
                                                                                          slow pull of tide
                              sirens and lights
                                                                                                         sever and sent
antibodies in the alphabet
you are tragic tender
                                             just another girl on the street
               paragraphs on fire
                                                            computer screen gone dark
                              timed out
                                                                           a patient unfurl
                                                                           where the bones align
curve the words
watch how metaphor
betrays this language
                                                            every prescription
                                                                           sounds like the real thing
                                                                                                         a bloodstream cure
like all careless talk
you must make the most
of the missing words
Linda King is the author of four poetry collections – Dream Street Details (Shoe Music Press, 2012), Reality Wayfarers (Shoe Music Press, 2014), no dimes for the dancing gypsies (BlazeVOX Books, 2015), ongoing repairs to something significant (BlazeVOX Books 2017). Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals in Canada and internationally. She lives and writes on The Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada.
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monitoring the white count
time and place    disrobe
                                             beyond need
               candle flame
                                                            of language
                                             landfill of eleven dark days
                                                                                                         simple conclusions
in two parts murky water
                                             heart stops               grief reflects
               an expanse
                                                            turn of phrase
                              crawl to the heat
                                             rehearse what you want to say
                                             bring something with feathers
                                             like a new book of poems
every crooked line
                                                            is where you find it
               spent
                                             in winter dread hours
                              pull the strings
                                                            appreciate the gestures
in whispers    and garments
                                                            sewn with tentative consequences
               like the rain                              that remains close to shore
                                             waiting now past December
               patient
                                             patient
                                                                                          slow pull of tide
                              sirens and lights
                                                                                                         sever and sent
antibodies in the alphabet
you are tragic tender
                                             just another girl on the street
               paragraphs on fire
                                                            computer screen gone dark
                              timed out
                                                                           a patient unfurl
                                                                           where the bones align
curve the words
watch how metaphor
betrays this language
                                                            every prescription
                                                                           sounds like the real thing
                                                                                                         a bloodstream cure
like all careless talk
you must make the most
of the missing words
Linda King is the author of four poetry collections – Dream Street Details (Shoe Music Press, 2012), Reality Wayfarers (Shoe Music Press, 2014), no dimes for the dancing gypsies (BlazeVOX Books, 2015), ongoing repairs to something significant (BlazeVOX Books 2017). Her work has appeared in numerous literary journals in Canada and internationally. She lives and writes on The Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada.