“the wounds produced by stereotyped sight”
–Wayne Koestenbaum, Forward to “A Lover’s Discourse”
1
he could only see
what his words
allowed—
the wounds
filled with salt
of their own making
he reacted accordingly
through a bank
of emotions
a cacophonous disquiet
embedded
in presumption
2
her words were
hers, askew
to his vision
she suffered not
the barbs in his
intent—
oblivious
to his exhortations
she wandered away
singing songs
drenched
in his blood
(May 24, 2017)
subtext 