Dorothy Lune

Burgeoning

Rest is memory, poppy-like & archived—
I’m as unwilling as a raw
swish in a cup, I’m as unwritten as between
the pages of cabbage. When
woman is murdered our corpse is dumped
in a glass cup. Work is
renewal of a floating ear—the bugged
bonsai, a bull in Pompeii,
how do I explain that I describe myself as a
shaken stencil, resin &
ignored—please don’t pity me, please
respect me. Our hair catches
on the fierce rim, harsh as a man rejected. The
bull of Pompeii cried real
tears, did you know that? Did you know
that he felt upset that
day. Our body was splayed to look alive so
at least your city could observe you.

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Dorothy Lune is a Yorta Yorta poet, born in Australia & a Best of the Net 2024 nominee. Her poems have appeared in Overland journal, Many Nice Donkeys & more. She is looking to publish her manuscripts, can be found online @dorothylune & has a substack at https://dorothylune.substack.com/.