Amanda Oaks
Ode to the Knife
half of your tongue is coated in salt—sugar
forgive me for wanting—thinking about how
a road divides the wood headlights—the dark
I close one eye flick my vowels skyward
& watch through dirty window—a lens
of mistake while you cut the apple
in two & two & two while I god-over
the garden the melt what is spit or swallowed
this push & pull I listen to the wind
make love to the fence the sigh & moan
the war cry of leaves who kiss branch
& fall ill from tree hit cement & crumble
to ruin beneath tire after tire after tire
I know we both do
Amanda Oaks is the founding editor of Words Dance Publishing, an independent press + biweekly online poetry journal. Her works have appeared in numerous online & print publications, including decomP, Stirring, & Heavy Feather Review. She is the author of four poetry collections: Hurricane Mouth (NightBallet Press, 2014), her co-authored split book, I Eat Crow (Words Dance, 2014) & her series of free music-inspired eChapbooks which can be downloaded here:http://www.amandaoaks.com/ Her forthcoming chapbook, The River is Everywhere, will be published by Red Flag Poetry in summer 2017.
Return to May 2017 Edition
half of your tongue is coated in salt—sugar
forgive me for wanting—thinking about how
a road divides the wood headlights—the dark
I close one eye flick my vowels skyward
& watch through dirty window—a lens
of mistake while you cut the apple
in two & two & two while I god-over
the garden the melt what is spit or swallowed
this push & pull I listen to the wind
make love to the fence the sigh & moan
the war cry of leaves who kiss branch
& fall ill from tree hit cement & crumble
to ruin beneath tire after tire after tire
I know we both do
Amanda Oaks is the founding editor of Words Dance Publishing, an independent press + biweekly online poetry journal. Her works have appeared in numerous online & print publications, including decomP, Stirring, & Heavy Feather Review. She is the author of four poetry collections: Hurricane Mouth (NightBallet Press, 2014), her co-authored split book, I Eat Crow (Words Dance, 2014) & her series of free music-inspired eChapbooks which can be downloaded here:http://www.amandaoaks.com/ Her forthcoming chapbook, The River is Everywhere, will be published by Red Flag Poetry in summer 2017.
Return to May 2017 Edition