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Published: Sun Jul 1 2007
Eva Lundsager, Were now like (detail), 2021, oil on canvas
Do Not Desire Me, Imagine Me

As Corpse                         Loosened, bare, profusely female,
_                                              _the pulse in my thigh
_                                              _unthreaded—

As Hair                              Clear of furies, of flowers,
_                                              _the shade of dry paste

As Skull                             Fissured:
_                                              _an unlit chandelier

As Dirt                               The ants sift through
_                                              _and soften

_                                              _And with no fingertips, imagine

As Dust                              You 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)

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