Cynthia Atkins
TV
When you awoke/ the war was on―/Fuzz and static/ and B52’s of quiet / not like
Shhh, the baby is sleeping/ but the manic dust / post shoot−out―/Cowboys blowing on
guns/ or condoms at 3 am/ blue rill of night― / It looks back / at you / steely eyes / ears
plugged / smug like a shark gnashing./ We are told to suck / on all its nipples / Dinner
served /on a silver tray /on parent/teacher night / It squawks / rattling every gold /filling
in the neighborhood/ Antennae’s swaying like the tongues /in electric thunderstorms/
/Little box of tinkers / with so many voices / talking all at once/ O rubber doormat / it
seduces stupidity/ has little sympathy / prattling mandates /soliciting / telling us to see /
many sexy theatres/ in our small eyes / Eat a pretzel / pop a can/ take some Prozac/
Be rid of acne!/ and every human / quirk / imagined / It tells you to laugh and screw on
track / Broadcasts / the hidden / motif of wants―/ Commands us / to flip through /
every channel / to surgically remove / every crafted /origami heart―/ This gangly
box / intoxicating / the shame and shock / imbibing / on the envoy / of our pain /
Cynthia Atkins received an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Her first collection of poems, “Psyche’s Weathers” (Wordtech, 2007) was recently featured on Verse Daily, her second collection is forthcoming in 2013, “In The Event of Full Disclosure.”
Atkins’ poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Alaska Quarterly Review, American Letters & Commentary, BigCityLit, BOMB, Caketrain, Cold Mountain Review, Del Sol Review, Denver Quarterly, Harpur Palate, Inertia, The Journal, North American Review, Sou’wester, Valparaiso Review, Verse Daily,. She holds residencies from the VCCA and Breadloaf Writer’s Conference and currently teaches creative writing at Virginia Western Community College and lives in Rockbridge County, VA on the Maury River with her family.
Return to July 2013 Edition
When you awoke/ the war was on―/Fuzz and static/ and B52’s of quiet / not like
Shhh, the baby is sleeping/ but the manic dust / post shoot−out―/Cowboys blowing on
guns/ or condoms at 3 am/ blue rill of night― / It looks back / at you / steely eyes / ears
plugged / smug like a shark gnashing./ We are told to suck / on all its nipples / Dinner
served /on a silver tray /on parent/teacher night / It squawks / rattling every gold /filling
in the neighborhood/ Antennae’s swaying like the tongues /in electric thunderstorms/
/Little box of tinkers / with so many voices / talking all at once/ O rubber doormat / it
seduces stupidity/ has little sympathy / prattling mandates /soliciting / telling us to see /
many sexy theatres/ in our small eyes / Eat a pretzel / pop a can/ take some Prozac/
Be rid of acne!/ and every human / quirk / imagined / It tells you to laugh and screw on
track / Broadcasts / the hidden / motif of wants―/ Commands us / to flip through /
every channel / to surgically remove / every crafted /origami heart―/ This gangly
box / intoxicating / the shame and shock / imbibing / on the envoy / of our pain /
Cynthia Atkins received an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Her first collection of poems, “Psyche’s Weathers” (Wordtech, 2007) was recently featured on Verse Daily, her second collection is forthcoming in 2013, “In The Event of Full Disclosure.”
Atkins’ poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Alaska Quarterly Review, American Letters & Commentary, BigCityLit, BOMB, Caketrain, Cold Mountain Review, Del Sol Review, Denver Quarterly, Harpur Palate, Inertia, The Journal, North American Review, Sou’wester, Valparaiso Review, Verse Daily,. She holds residencies from the VCCA and Breadloaf Writer’s Conference and currently teaches creative writing at Virginia Western Community College and lives in Rockbridge County, VA on the Maury River with her family.
Return to July 2013 Edition