This selection, chosen by guest editor john compton, is from Scavenger by Jessica Lynn Suchon (YesYes Books 2024).
content warning for rape
Tetra —
When I wake he is already inside of me.
A voice comes from my mouth,
not mine, a brass pricked cylinder
music box rotating into yes. Summer hums
humid air through the crack in our wall.
Quiet under the weight of his body, I find
a water stain on the ceiling, imagine
each damp spot is a cluster of stars
and name the constellation. I know
this shape: a beast with its mouth curdled open.
Jessica Lynn Suchon is the author of Scavenger, winner of the 2018 Vinyl 45 Chapbook Contest from YesYes Books. She completed her MFA at Southern Illinois University where she received honors from the Academy of American Poets. Her work was featured in Best New Poets 2021 and was awarded fellowships from Aspen Words and Tennessee Playwrights Studio. Jessica’s poems have appeared in Copper Nickel, Willow Springs, Ninth Letter, Yemassee, The Pinch, Muzzle Magazine, and RHINO Poetry, among others. Her debut stage play Shopgirls premiered at the Dark Horse Theater Chapel in Nashville as part of the 2019 Tennessee Playwright Festival. Jessica’s librettos have debuted internationally in performances by EKMELES Vocal Ensemble, the Eureka Ensemble, and the Albany Symphony, among others. She currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband Josh and sweet pup Gracie.
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