Are All the Boyfriends in Your Poems Real?
(after Aimee Nezhukumatathil)
As real as a subway train stalled in the tunnel,
a pond full of agricultural runoff, a rip in my pants
when I’m far from home. Yes, they’re as real
as that. Blond as blond, as brown as your eyes,
as brutal as a dogfight, false as an excuse
for showing up late. They’re a brain fissure,
an eruption of tissues, and they’re as present
in my life as a portrait gallery in a hallway.
I argue with all of them, then reassure them.
One snaps my picture when I need a headshot,
another advises me on an outfit to wear
to an interview, another educates me on European
history. And all of them notice you, ask me who you are,
what you’re doing in my space, and when you’ll be leaving.
Geer Austin is the author of Cloverleaf, a poetry chapbook from PWP Press. His poetry and fiction has appeared in anthologies, print and online journals including Big Bridge, Colere, This Literary Magazine, Potomac Review, and BlazeVOX. He leads writing workshops for underserved populations through New York Writers Coalition, most recently at New Alternatives for Homeless LGBT Youth. He lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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Augury Books’ spring/summer 2015 reading period is now open for submissions in poetry and prose. For guidelines and general information, please visit our submissions page.
