1 poem
by Zefyr Lisowski
Zefyr Lisowski (she/they) is a queer Southern transplant, writer, artist, and triple Pisces. She's the author of Blood Box, selected as Editor's Choice in the Black River Chapbook Contest and forthcoming from Black Lawrence Press, the microchapbook Wolf Inventory (Ghost City Press 2018), and is a poetry co-editor at Apogee Journal. She lives in the woods, the sea, and at zeflisowski.com
Girl Work
After the schoolyard incident meanings blur
Average temperatures rising worldwide
My body luscious Like
Who wouldn’t consume me
Like hi my gender is scrumptious
My pronouns are eaten/ate
I love the way my hair looks in this light
Apocalyptic you know
What’s the opposite of being ruined?
The oceans have grown an inch in our lifetimes
Like wow I cover my hands with salt
The news anchor says my body is a seaside
I can deny others’ blame for anything
After it happens I sit on the breakers
This is what I’m trying to tell you
My disassociation becomes statistical
Yes things are getting worse
Yes the subway flooding with people
Yes drought yes crying scientists
When I lost my dad I thought wow
Why am I not crying more
This is a common narrative I learn
Things are consumed every day
I fling my body into the water
The anchor moving on to another story
I don’t talk about loss much
The water is still rising