Euscorpius italicus
You are not a killer but you play one
in my head. Tomorrow I’ll leave the light on
for you since I think that isn’t what
you want. What ever it is that you want
must be small enough to fit within
your grasp. As if you are waiting in
the butcher’s line and at a loss for words
you forever gesture overhead
this much. You have a lovely body.
It’s sure to leave a mark. The shape won’t do you
justice. This much we have in common. Let’s get
out of here, but sideways. You go first.
Dora Malech is the author of two collections of poems, Say So (Cleveland State University Poetry Center, 2011) and Shore Ordered Ocean (Waywiser Press, 2009). In 2010, she received a Ruth Lilly Poetry Fellowship and served as Poet-in-Residence at Saint Mary’s College of California. Visit her at www.doramalech.com.
Photo by Mark Leidner.