jayy dodd is a blxk question mark from los angeles, california—now based on the internet. they are a professional writer & literary editor. their work has appeared / will appear in Broadly, The Establishment, Assaracus, Winter Tangerine, Guernica, & Yes, Poetry, among others. they’re the author of [sugar in the tank] (Pizza Pi Press, 2016) & Mannish Tongues (Platypus Press, 2017). they are a Pushcart Prize nominee; their work has been featured in Teen Vogue & Entropy; they’re a co-editor of Bettering American Poetry & a 2017 Lambda Literary Fellow. find them talking trash or taking a selfie at jayydodd.net.
This poem initially appeared in WILDNESS journal.
1 poem by jayy dodd
KNOWING GOOD & WELL
In private conversations:
hands around throats for the first time.
How anxiety can taste of salt,
of a hand rolled cigarette
in the thick of memory.
In the night,
when moonlight is obstructed
& neon porch falls victim
to impenetrable darkness,
deep breath is rationed
in short-change currency.
To be choked or touched
or silent
or night
or drunk
& crying.
To be wee hours
praying for the dead.