I am never part of the morning. No one sees
me in it. I’ve been pixel-watching
hard tonight.
How else am I obscured? Feint
through curtains, spent face angled
away from sky’s surface.
Dawn needs to settle
up. Moonrise opens
its jaws again. Sunlight
as other: not newness, but jagged.
Nocturnal life’s no more bone
chilling than pale ice cream
melting on a silver
pool.
Waiting is angular,
then smooth and rounded.
Re: beginnings, where
there should be ends;
an addendum to rinsing off
in lavender water
until I’ve scrubbed down
every living bit
of skin—
I’m too tired for grief,
and calm’s too obscure:
a complexity I’ll only respond to
in heavy-lidded concentration.
Here I am again, each morning—
loose wires circling.
MAYA MCOMIE is a biracial/queer writer with connections to Ohio, the West Coast, and Tokyo, Japan. She holds an MFA in Poetry from the Ohio State University; her work has appeared in or is forthcoming from Gulf Stream Magazine, New World Writing, and Mantra Review, among others. Lately, she has been watching 90’s TV shows on YouTube and looking up recipes for unused ingredients in her pantry. Her poems attempt to process the complexities of identity, family, memory and ritual. You can find her on Twitter @MayaMcOmie.
UZOMAH UGWU is a poet/writer and multi-disciplined artist. Her poetry, writing, and art have been featured internationally in various publications, galleries, and art spaces. Her work’s intention is to draw the eye to something more than what is being seen but felt. She is a political, social, and cultural activist. Her core focus is on human rights, mental health, animal rights, and the rights of LGBTQIA persons. She is also the managing editor and founder of Arte Realizzata.