Poetry:
Alexa Mal
Everything You Need to Know about Cooking with Blood
friends, it’s gotten so practical
the glass thumbs our feet
warmly & we dance
like academics
with arms at the sky
endlessly shifting (fidgetous)
& thundered toward a national monument
won’t you deconstruct my second head
pull out the dead leaves
the crochet needles
[sad girl petitions to be mayor of chai lattes]
I’m just collecting best friends I’m
still pulling an endless
tongue of scarves from other head
[everyone is worried about their bangs]
won’t you find a therapist to marry us
a nice place
to settle your debt
to squish blue
berries in your little fingers
[an exciting new opportunity
is waiting behind this dumpster]
a distinguished form of labor
athletic
crowning
Alexa Mal’s work has appeared in Whiskey Island, Old Pal, and elsewhere. They earned an MFA in poetry from Portland State University. They live in Cleveland, Ohio.
Image: andreadonnelly.com
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