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If there is anything open
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I will return
from infinite dying
and the conscious swallow.
I will say – I will not want,
be a daughter of the root and caterpillar climb.
If there is anything worth keeping
I will keep it on the kitchen table
feed it blueberries, honor its language,
and biology.
But if is only echo, tell me clearly
so I can shut my eyes, turn and open them
elsewhere, find joy in sweeping the stairs
or typing in a mantra – all night, humming without erratic
fire or appetite. If my hands are only hands, let them
be clean, ungrasping, useful, in other ways, holding out
to offer, to receive, surrendering
bread, the stone, a smile.
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Copyright © 2017 by Allison Grayhurst
amazon.com/author/allisongrayhurst
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First published in “CultureCult Magazine, Volume 2, Number 1, Issue 7” March 2017
http://culturecult.in/latestissue/
CultureCult Magazine – Issue #7
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Published in “Ink In Thirds, Issue 8” December 2016
https://inkinthirds.com/magazine/
https://inkinthirds.com/2016/11/26/poetry-contributors-issue-8/
http://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/1193809/follow?__r=676117
ink_in_thirds_magazine_ink_in_thirds_issue_8
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Published in “Setu, Fifth Issue” October 2016
http://www.setumag.com/2016/10/setu-contents-october-2016.html
http://www.setumag.com/2016/10/poetry-by-allison-grayhurst.html
https://issuu.com/inkinthirds/docs/issue_8_-_december
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You can listen to the poem by clicking below:
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