Mantis 21 (Summer 2023)
New Poetry
Cheyenne Hicks
Audio Recordings
A throaty resonance of words to remember
ideas long ago thought, the voice sounds like a different timbre
Starters of stories and poetry in free verse
unfinished and unfiltered, left to freedoms of the universe
The writer, the speaker, the reader and listener
as one. Omnipresent, who will christen the recording
- Delete
Anniversary
Let us pretend this is an ode to you
to us. To all that we have become.
A lesson in thankfulness, a note of gratitude
For never making me feel
like calibrating or conforming
to fitting, a custom-made suit
just for you
Somehow a magnet, we were drawn together
in all my awkward imperfections
and imperfect habits. My quiet need to be alone, be with just me.
A pull of one opposite drawn to another
A forcefield joined by:in differences.
A lethal combination.
Combustion!