Asleep in the Reeds
NATHAN FAKO
I can learn to hate this shell easy / already
don’t do much right by my body
in oil & salt / call it a wound: my throat
& how it is open always, any gift
passes, no porcelain gag, talk empty
of rhythm / shambler I’m called
to knees again & again asking for drink
or drunkard to peel me: unlatch / hatch only
if I am split can the song come
wild & hot, tender me / thin as a reed,
kissed between two thumbs—
what eats the light for growing?
what cuts the lipped wind to song?
NATHAN FAKO (he/they) is a former high school teacher. He currently lives in Ohio, but has spent time living in Mississippi as well as Utah. His work can be found in The Shore, The Rumpus, HAD, and elsewhere.
