ouroboros spell, in red
ALISON LUBAR
from what eden have i slithered?
only oxygenated blood stays red.
windows and grievances aired
in the tea leaves. i drink. i read
the burnt, the clarified. render
it clean. a cellared apple, cored,
hung on a branch for some furred
starving winter thing. the inbred
varietals of orchid, roots poured
from molding terracotta. a kindred
seeking. newtonian and mirrored
in every paradise i’ve since neared:
the eden from whence i’ve slithered.
ALISON LUBAR is a queer, biracial Nikkei poet and educator who teaches literature to teenagers, writing to adults, and yoga to all ages. They’re the author of two full-length poetry books, The Other Tree, winner of Harbor Editions’ 2023 Laureate Prize, and METAMOURPHOSIS (fifth wheel press, 2024), as well as four chapbooks: Philosophers Know Nothing About Love (Thirty West, 2022), queer feast (Bottlecap Press, 2022), sweet euphemism (Mouthfeel Press, 2023), It Skips a Generation (Stanchion, 2023), and a microchap, American Kintsugi (Bull City Press, 2026). Alison is also a board member for Philadelphia’s Blue Stoop. Find out more at www.alisonlubar.com.
