iii.
Space is not a vacuum in that
it is not a mechanism used for sucking unwanted bits from
surfaces but it is a vacuum in that it is:
without matter.
the void remaining once something integral has departed.
removed from the context which makes it whole.
It is when something is made isolated. Starting to speak,
wetting the tack of my palette, I feel the frozen void pulling
me inside out.
I am filled with space. Sound sucked–
gone.
The silence of a body about to implode.
—
This selection is from J. Gay’s book Decomposition, available from dancing girl press! Purchase your copy here!
J. Gay was born and raised in Louisiana. She received her Bachelor’s from the College of Santa Fe and her Master’s from Stonecoast. She lives in New Mexico with her husband and son. Decomposition is her first chapbook. Her website is jgaywriting.com.
Darren C. Demaree is the author of three poetry collections, As We Refer to Our Bodies (2013, 8th House), Temporary Champions (2014, Main Street Rag), and Not For Art For Prayer (2015, 8th House). He is the recipient of three Pushcart Prize nominations and a Best of the Net nomination. He is also a founding editor of Ovenbird Poetry and AltOhio. He is currently living in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and children.
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