Poem of the Week: Larry Duncan – ‘Positioning the Body’

1st Place
Larry Duncan – ‘Positioning the Body’

“I’ve always been a beautiful place holder,”
she said as I lifted her from kitchen floor
and carried her to the back bedroom.
“You know,”she said, “the space in-between.”

For years, when I was strong,
razor strong—cutting
through the world on quick,
decisive strides—I often thought
of that moment as profound
and even wept, still seeing
the milky curl of her body
in the corner beneath the sink,
the shattered ceramic of the cup
she’d thrown in pieces on dirty linoleum,
beads of tea on the wall,
shining like the cold eyes of fish
between the delicately painted leaves.

Only now, not so strong
or sharp anymore, do I realize
my memory never happened.
I’d never lifted her.
I’ve never been that strong.
I came that night to her apartment
with the broken tea cup already in my pocket
and dragged her from her bed
to position the body for better light,
lifting the hem of her nightgown
to expose just the right amount of thigh
before placing the shards.
Each drop of tea,
the touch of my finger on the wall
to reflect the satisfaction of art
well rendered on my face.

More about Larry:

Larry Duncan currently lives in Long Beach, CA. He graduated from Chapman University with a BFA in Creative Writing and received his MFA at California State University, Long Beach. His writing has appeared in various online and print magazines, including Juked, My Favorite Bullet, the Mas Tequila Review and the Fat City Review. His Chapbook Crossroads of Stars and White Lightning is available through Arroyo Secco Press. You can learn more about Larry and check out links to his other poetry at his website

 

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