Malak Mattar, Untitled (detail), 2024, charcoal on paper
Do Not Desire Me, Imagine Me
As CorpseLoosened, bare, profusely female,
the pulse in my thigh
unthreaded—
As HairClear of furies, of flowers,
the shade of dry paste
As SkullFissured:
an unlit chandelier
As DirtThe ants sift through
and soften
And with no fingertips, imagine
As DustYou can hang the air on me
Mary Szybist received her BA and MT from the University of Virginia and later attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was a Teaching-Writing Fellow. Her first book, Granted, was published by Alice James Books in 2003 and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She teaches at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. (updated 1/2007)