A Poem by Sophia Dahlin

by Mark Bibbins, Editor

When Relinquish on a Star

Of June singing, of Monday singing, of losing you by the wayside singing
I never noticed losing you Monday in June, tra la
Of March singing, of relics singing
of bringing it home the first time singing
I invited you home to worry my mother, tra la
Sweet treats in the crisper, lo mein on the counter for hours
biscuits I punched out of dough for the house to devour
Of Rebecca singing, of the concert singing
of losing you at the concert singing
Intermixing too rapidly for my sexual attention span tra la
of quickness singing, of sinning singing, of a longlost girl Friday I’m singing
My right hand disguising whatever my left hand was holding
I stay awake past the cusp of day, sing my not sleeping
You wore me out, leading me not quite from the crime
Did I pee on the leafpile you leapt in
Of sexual exhaustion singing, of the floor tiles, of June
did I get in the boat of your partner
of karaoke, I lobbed my wet eyes at your partner
I told you I meant all my mixing
Of learning I’m toxic to you by your sudden reaction
burial of my flirt and the upturned earth of my bedsheets
burial of my wish the upturned earth of my bedsheets, of not sleeping
singing, of not ending to dream, waking up in June or October
escaping acquaintance by desperate means is a pleasure
but losing your day by the wayside can harm you at nightfall or dawn
snags your eyelids midcycle, I’m learning, singing
glittery boat drip, of a thunderstorm rising past fenceposts I’m singing
of rising from roads into pitch sky and sticking, of packing
of August and skipping to demons sing lo
sorry ’bout the demons tra la

Sophia Dahlin’s poems have recently been in BOMB, Denver Quarterly, and Colorado Review. With Davy Knittle, she runs the Human Body Series in Iowa City.

You will find more poems here. You may contact the editor at [email protected].