TWO POEMS

ONE BLUE LUNG

swirling minnows kiss my forehead,

hopeful in shades of silver, sprigs

bursting from the kitchen floor.

every door is open. i cascaded into

these waters, drifted headlong

through this filling house (this bath,

this river). as i deepen, endless lilies

gather, weave gardens in my hair,

in my eyelashes, & all washes over

with such visions, such wonder,

that i reach as if to hold hands

in the way otters do. i am reminded

of breath, new & needful, gasping

to shiver the fractured windows.

MOSSBODIES

strange, how the night billows over

my unclean lips, having lain there

& there & there. white canopies

bear down, but i cannot tell fog

from cotton. i cannot tell you why

i flinched. the elsewhere catches

on my skin, much as the blankets

drape across us, & my brow seeks

yours: do not let me dissipate.

when we meet inside the forest,

clouds begin to fold somewhat

at a touch. many trees remain.

i pull at curtains, at foliage, bare,

undone. come into the clearing.

yours graze the intangible

other palms parted from me.

---

Calum O'Connell (he/they) is a queer writer and dabbler from Ireland. Their work has appeared in opia, horse egg literary, and underblong, among others. They can be found on Twitter @caloconnell.