Shownotes
Jawbone, Ribcage
Emily Holman
I
Split
[The chord of my brain as it connects to] [] [my spine snaps; thoughts gone, gone] Myself
Apart,
[My spine snaps, a snare trap of my own] [] [melancholy design, hospitalized within] From
Underneath
[Profound enchantments, spellike words,] [] [if I even am who I say I am; beginnings] My
Jaw,
[Entrails, tingling numbness, bleeding] [] [hearts, beating to an eerie chanting] Tearing
My
[I shake a bony hand; where is your skin?] [] [disintegration, if I fall apart entirely] Tongue
In
[A heavenly blue pours out of me, exhaust] [] [by formalities, by ritualistic movements] Two,
To
[Autopsied, on a cold silver table, open] [] [and spoon-fed wild herbs and potions]
Expose
My
[Breathe in; the cold air fills my lungs] [] [up to its ballooned capacity, now warm]
Humanity,
Revealing
[Thrums and thralls of an otherworldly] [] [power, disembodied voices call to me] Worms
And
[Who puzzle-pieced me together before,] [] [assembling lamb for slaughter, for god?] Rot
And
[No longer made of metal, jellied eyes] [] [leap from my skull. I can grow again.] Blood.
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One Poem Only submissions are open.
I’m filling the next chapter of One Poem Only and would love to include your work. Send me the poem you wrote and want the world to hear. New this round: if you’d like to read your own poem on the podcast, you can. No need for a perfect studio recording—just a clear audio file recorded in a quiet space. If you choose this option, you’ll submit your poem and an audio file of you reading it. Submissions close Thursday, July 30. I’ll respond by August 12. Whether I read your poem or you read it yourself, I’d love to hear what you’re ready to share.
