Three eyes in the back of the head but it’s impossible to see the reign beyond & above there is so much below the drops the puddles infestations of the microbes things curious full of desire the leftovers of wanting one Won the toss-up turnover fucking face down in pastry goods from another kingdom of ache The head throbbing with glutinous longing preferable to a hangover but not close close enough one droplet of sweat a magnifying glass third eye squinting through the peep hole speaking volcanic ash Throat Eye sees a sonata between each thought a period lucky bastard or cunt or non-binary Reason whispers an aura an invisible shield almost within grasp Wolf Come Come closer Feel me We are so close All you have to do is touch me
You Give Me Fever
Amanda McGuire
What is the significance of this work to you?
I'm interested in exploring the connections between reality, memory, and imagination. Like many of my poems, these both stemmed from writing exercises. As William Stafford says, "In writing, a trick is to give yourself good assignments." For example, "Long Overdue" stems from a writing assignment author/illustrator Lindsay Moore gave during a workshop on Scatter Hoarding.
What is the significance of the form you chose for this work?
Prose poems, to me, are about speed and voice. Line breaks create pause and consideration in their use of negative space on the page. These pieces called for prose poems because they wanted to say it all in one breath, like that very talkative friend that says a little too much. And prose poems have a way leaping between ideas that may or may not connect—here arrives the voice. The lack of punctuation—my "assignment"—in "You Give Me Fever" furthers the voice—a narrator with a fever watching Game of Thrones but thinking about other things...
What was your process for creating these pieces?
Observational notetaking, doodling, and lots of non-thinking while walking, yoga-ing, and baking: I do these daily, obsessively, until there's the moment when it's time to write. I listen for that moment.
Amanda McGuire’s work has appeared in Cream City Review, the Toledo Museum of Art, and other literacy spaces. She teaches writing, literature for young people, and yoga at Bowling Green State University.