This feature, chosen by Guest Editor Ezra Fox, is from transfinity by Joey Gould (Lambhouse Books 2026).
the unknot
Not merely a torus,
but rather the least
knotted of all knots.
I go to a party
+ when some man asks
what is it that I do
I say I am a knot theorist
which is kind of true
because poems,
also I like to weave
my elastic hair tie
through my fingers.
I have trouble
embracing simplicity
but someone has studied
a circle + named it
the unknot. They
published a paper
that ∆ (t) = 1
+ everyone agreed
that it doesn’t
have to be so difficult.
People who say they hate
math are neglecting
the joy of counting
one two lovers’ boobs.
Joey Gould (they/them), who served as Sundress Academy for the Arts Spring 2024 Writer in Residence, wrote transfinity (2026, Lambhouse), The Acute Avian Heart (2019, Lily Poetry Review) & Penitent > Arbiter (2022, Lily Poetry Review). Their recent work appears in Meow Meow Pow Pow, Memezine, and Defunkt Magazine’s Surreal Confessional Anthology.
Ezra Fox (they/he) is a Best of the Net nominee who lives and writes in San Francisco, CA and holds an MFA from Indiana University. A Breadloaf, Tin House, and Lambda Literary Fellow, and recipient of the Lili Elbe Memorial Scholarship, which recognizes transgender writers of exceptional promise, their work appears or is forthcoming in TriQuarterly, The Pinch, Fourteen Hills, Interim, and elsewhere. Additionally, they won the 2025 West Trade Review Poetry Prize, and currently serve as assistant judge of the Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. Apart from writing, Ezra maintains a daily practice of reconnecting with their inner child: roller-skating, playing drums, and enjoying animated films and theme parks. In quieter moments, they can be found sharing cups of tea and sweet treats with their beloveds. Learn more about Ezra at ezrafox.net or on Instagram @ezraxfox.
