Tuesday 22 November 2016

Neutrality

by Marlee Cox


You taste sweeter than placebo pills—though, you’re
not much better at taking the edge
off, darling. Hold my hand but go no
further. You are here; I am… somewhere.


That is a miracle of
circumstance. That is so much.


You did it on purpose. You
live in that blue house on purpose. You
uncoiled my mind on purpose.


Good job, bringing a stick to a
knife-fight—that’s usually
my move. I need to tell you: I met someone else,
someone who sketches cross-sections of the brains of
salivating dogs in a monogrammed moleskine. I need for you to know: I would
never have let you teach me to
ski in the Alps.


I have seen one too many
avalanches to play those games.

But I wish you the best of luck. Each time I hear
the cough of cannons, some under-evolved corner of my mind
will salivate.


* * * * *

In 2011 Marlee Cox at age 15 won one of the Glass Woman Prize awards for her story "Collapse."


No comments:

Post a Comment