<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">EXPONENTS </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">1</span>}<span style="font-size:small">We
are</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">a thing
near</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">and full,</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">wide</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">and empty
or—</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">the
notation</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">of what
doesn’t—</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">2</span>}<span style="font-size:small">What’s
the broken</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">arrow</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">in your
cheek? </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">But I
know.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">It is
something</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">I did to
you</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">in the
jungle.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">3</span>}<span style="font-size:small">Distance</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">marked in
stones, </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">a series</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">of
particulate</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">revelations.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">4</span>}<span style="font-size:small">Stabbing
around</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">in here,
guilty</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">glyphs</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">are ocean.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">5</span>}<span style="font-size:small">On
the car ride</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">home from
sick</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">father, I
hear</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">the songs</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">you left
me.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">6</span>}<span style="font-size:small">You
might not</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">think it, </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">but I can
still hear </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">the trees</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">glowing.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">7</span>}<span style="font-size:small">From
other </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">countries
you send</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">photos.
Splayed</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">on the
table, my betrayal </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">painted</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">onto that
shop</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">window</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">in
Florence.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">8</span>}<span style="font-size:small">The
pain</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">in my back</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">a residual</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">of your
years</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">of lack. </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">9</span>}<span style="font-size:small">Strangest
sound,</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">sprinkler </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">in winter,
the permanent</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">displacement.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">Florida
not</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">an isthmus</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">you’ll
touch</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">again.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">10</span>}<span style="font-size:small">I
don’t need </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">protection</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">from a
force</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">wrapped</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">around my
ribcage. </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">So many
years</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">of
unwavering</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">on that
particular </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">ladder of
bone.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">11</span>}<span style="font-size:small">When
I left </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">I wore </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">a mask </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">so you </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">couldn’t
see.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">12</span>}<span style="font-size:small">Fixating
on</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">an agility
of crows. </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">You knew
black- </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">birds</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">would find
</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">in this
poem</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">a stoop.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">13</span>}<span style="font-size:small">Uncertainty
</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">an
archipelago.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">What are
decisions</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">anyway</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">in the
afterlife</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">of
longing? </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">Only
bodily</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">unfastenings</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">here on
earth.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">14</span>}<span style="font-size:small">What
I want</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">is for you</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">to eat</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">the last
cookie.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">15</span>}<span style="font-size:small">I
hope </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">all those
beautiful</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">women give
you</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">their
terrain.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">I turned you
from</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">my pockets.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">16</span>}<span style="font-size:small">A
caravan</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">of demons </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">my
horse-and-buggy</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">to heaven.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">17</span>}<span style="font-size:small">A
beer and </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">a Xanax</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">keep me </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">on my toes,</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">which are
boulders</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">on the
high-</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">way
between </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">selves.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">18</span>}<span style="font-size:small">Nagging
</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">feeling</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">that some </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">disease</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">of will </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">lodges</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">inside me.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">19</span>}<span style="font-size:small">When
you come</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">home, the
cat’s yours.</span></p>

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"><br clear="ALL">
</span>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">20</span>}<span style="font-size:small">I
can’t see</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">the days
for their</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">brightness.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">21</span>}<span style="font-size:small">An
orange tree</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">fruiting
without</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">its
leaves.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">Nature’s
flagrant foul.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma">^{<span style="font-size:x-small">22</span>}<span style="font-size:small">What
I want </span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">for you
now and ever</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">is to wear</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">rain boots</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Tahoma">on the
rafters.</span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"><span style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;border-collapse:collapse"><b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">Alexis Orgera</font></b><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"> lives in Florida. She is the author of <a href="http://www.h-ngm-n.com/hlfo/" target="_blank"><i>How Like Foreign Objects</i></a>, </font><font face="tahoma, sans-serif">available from H_ngm_n BKS, and two chapbooks: <i>Illuminatrix</i> (Forklift, Ink) and <i>Dear Friends, The Birds Were Wonderful!</i> (Blue Hour Press). Her poems have appeared in places like <i>Bat City Review</i>, <i>DIAGRAM</i>, <i>Folio</i>, <i>Forklift Ohio</i>, <i>Fou</i>, <i>Green Mountains Review</i>, <i>Gulf Coast</i>, <i>H_ngm_n</i>, <i>In Posse Review</i>, <i>jubilat</i>, <i>Luna</i>, and <i>storySouth</i>. She edits the sporadic <i>New CollAge </i>magazine at New College of Florida. </font></span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Tahoma"><span style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;border-collapse:collapse"><font face="tahoma, sans-serif"><br>
</font></span></span></p>




<br>-- <br>RealPoetik<br><a href="http://www.realpoetik.org" target="_blank">www.realpoetik.org</a><br>