cinemorphosis (for Hector Viel Temperly)

by PJ Lombardo

 

i arrive grinwrecked in a puddle of dandelions
and the passerbys jiggle their heads in shock—
a quivertree has grown two fat lips 

in the midst of such blasphemy
thru the chipped teeth of an oracle
i enter my wake to discover 

gaping trainwrecks iron legs
wound around each other 

iron necks craned in ecstasy 

i see a mustang descend between
sunbeams 

shimmering its twisted
face—

which approaches its
mouth with calves
outstretched– bands of raw
muscle 

swirling in
my chest 

i arrive grinwrecked in a puddle of
dandelions faceless whispers shake the air
gaping passerbys swivel their iron necks 

flaming wads of bliss pocking their tan cheeks— 

a goat on twin legs
pulls a lute from its tail 

and haunts it with breath buried deep in its
stomach 

my nose disappears into my
mouth— 

a nose stuffed with teeth
descends between
sunbeams 

i arrive grinwrecked in a puddle of
dandelions straddling the back of an oracle 

we cling in a hover from the fingernail of a quiver tree
as magma lifts from beneath earth’s crust in lumps of
flaming bliss— 

two goathearts over each of my eyes 

a wake of mist lifts the knees of passerbys above the horizon 

swirls of whisper
drag into lips 

while their phonemes accent
the crest of every
trainwreck

 

 


PJ Lombardo is a poet and cultural critic from northern New Jersey. He is currently an MFA candidate at the University of Notre Dame and works as an RA for Action Books. His work is forthcoming in Dream Pop Journal.

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