Eileen Myles


Mary Hansen


Autumnal

day

in which

I fed

a horse

an apple

took the

wrong tea

bag to make

the wrong

tea. She

rears up

unexpectedly

crowds out

the pattern

with her

sizzling

beat. She

comes

back repeat

edly.

          

           Time

           was

           a souvenir

towel was

truly a towel.

The wind has

great force.

The tree

has truly

made its

decision

did the

truck

strike Mary

or did

Mary

hit the

truck. You

moved

your head

The weather

said. I’m sure

she suffered

some time

in the

past. In a rain

storm

lightning

struck

her back.

You can

see those

wounds

when you’re

walking through

the forest

& that’s

what

took her

down.




Eileen Myles (they/them, b. 1949) is a poet, novelist and art journalist whose practice of vernacular first-person writing has made them one of the most recognized writers of their generation. Pathetic Literature, which they edited, came out in Fall of 22. a “Working Life”, their newest collection of poems, is out now. They live in New York & in Marfa, TX.