I don’t know why I talk and talk and talk
Sometimes people mind but mostly not
I constellate my tiny horses to see how their bodies work
And when that’s done I gather all my shells
And think of when I broke my favorite crown
I lay my shells and rocks and money in the light
(The trees can suck you up into the blue)
(Behind it there’s a unicorn of stars)
The earth is busy making towns and towns and towns and
If the stars touch earth a fire starts
My throat is hot and I take off my dress
And when that’s done I touch my center one long time
This shell is made of dust, this one of bone
The arrow I am tangles with the sun
from Poetry Northwest 11.2 Winter & Spring 2017More by Jessica Johnson from the library
Copyright © Jessica Johnson
Used with the permission of the author
on behalf of Poetry Northwest.