Size / / /

I woke for a woman all tooth and whispered want. Like the oven she was

warm when met and cold when done. She was second cousin to God. She

kneaded me, and her fingers spanned the sun.

But then she chopped and cut. Nonplussed, I ran

away from the kitchen smell of cinnamon and cayenne, away from the

bedroom smell of thrust and come. Road iced with foxglove, with horse,

pig, cook, and cook's man. Never mind pursuit. I've no need for breath.

I'm faster than. Run, run, run, as fast as you can.

The river glints, a knife in the land.

The fox waiting there is wild laughter: is to ashes as petals are to

dust. Fur to blossom to this pure, this perfect, lust. Pursuit

clamors. Wind chews the water. Her eyes are the sun as she speaks of

trust. I leap onto her back, telling myself, perhaps to truly love

you have to risk being undone.




Joanne Merriam is the publisher at Upper Rubber Boot Books. She is a new American living in Nashville, having immigrated from Nova Scotia. She most recently edited Broad Knowledge: 35 Women Up To No Good, and her own poetry has appeared in dozens of places including Asimov's, The Fiddlehead, Grain, and previously in Strange Horizons.
Current Issue
25 Sep 2023

People who live in glass houses are surrounded by dirt birds
After a century, the first colony / of bluebirds flew out of my mouth.
Over and over the virulent water / beat my flame down to ash
In this episode of  Critical Friends , the Strange Horizons SFF criticism podcast, Aisha and Dan talk to critic and poet Catherine Rockwood about how reviewing and criticism feed into creative practice. Also, pirates.
Writing authentic stories may require you to make the same sacrifice. This is not a question of whether or not you are ready to write indigenous literature, but whether you are willing to do so. Whatever your decision, continue to be kind to indigenous writers. Do not ask us why we are not famous or complain about why we are not getting support for our work. There can only be one answer to that: people are too busy to care. At least you care, and that should be enough to keep my culture alive.
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