KATIE JEAN SHINKLE

 

 

                                     



CHARLOTTE & EVERYONE: A CARDIOGRAM

 

 

Charlotte laughs, echo,
tunnel house-to-house
           tin-can telephone/ hello hello hello
hello, dear/telephone

hello hello hello/Charlotte says
           can you hear me? Can you call me back,
I have an echo in my heart so says

the cardiogram, my heart is made of echoes
           room of bush of berries, shadow
singular view of outside through shadow.

Ghosts live here, shadow, Charlotte steals,
           glues berries to her fingertips,
its hard to answer the phone/hello hello hello

are you there? Show yourself to me if you want
           your picture taken/hello hello hello—
Orb, three berries, each photo blurred,
           each line, disconnected, no longer
in service.

 

+++

 

 

 

MARTHA & CHARLOTTE & EL: A THREE-WAY

 

 

If you could wrap yourself in snow,
           stick yourself up inside
                                 of me—

inside around and a hoop

                                 wrap, fierce wind, a wind

dominated inside legs
uterus bravery

                                 what makes us brave?

What is inside courage—

Where our iciest insides, panic stricken
          insides, are our lives

                       wrapped like a halo, wrapped inside a halo.

What is bravery but fighting fear with fear,
standing with fear, a wrapped fist of halo of snow

on head, about to jump off a building—

                                 so suddenly—

you are there

                       and then


you are not

 

 

                                                                                                      

 

      

 

                                   

 

 


TYPO 20