The Brooklyn Rail

DEC 13-JAN 14

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DEC 13-JAN 14 Issue
Poetry

Moving Rooftop Picture Show w/Buffalos

buffalo rooftop   buffalo seashell
buffalo wings against the image of sunset
great jog of sand pipers   crammed in a box
mother crab   orange dressings
a crab in person   cash crab   a buffalo you pay
bovine legs in the surf   cowgirl undertow
western shehorse   sea cow crab of the coast
set to sink and sing   cloud buffalo   
cloud crown   buffalo crowd into me
buffalo soup the color of horseshoe crab
clap trap   clam song   a wail clapped quiet
shut buffalo boxes   orange on the blue
a light square buffalo building   big craze
big stare into outdoor theater haze

morning!   it’s morning   it’s night
slow shoes   cool shoes   cool lightning
pearly hues   cool lighting   it’s a show
my in-flight path strayed from as a fire
as a fire boils shellfish in water
witches amid a clump of kelp   blood in a goblet
gobs of it   cups of buffalo   juice of a cub
skin of my fist    blood on my tongue
in my mouth having tasted the witch potion
for love   brew of the sea cow
poem of the trench   portions of moon movement
sleek like buffalo   graze on the vast green grasses
slow breath on a hot mug of buffalo
blonde crabs in a cave
white buffalo hairs on a pillow

remember my name   how I wade
voice of the sea cow buffalo crab
my shell echoes on a cracked horizon
melt of cow tongue clam crayon buffalo landscape
buttered sea leg   I like it on my chin
crabby patty cake   my chin on my gun
pool for cows    I like to see it boil
I like to shoot my gun

moving rooftop picture show with buffalos
a ghost creeping into the shot
movie of my thoughts on this woman
photographing the space her body leaves
crab-like in her movements
grace of a sea cow or buffalo
a body outlined by pure buffalo sunlight
the wind takes up loose clothing as wings or fins
albino buffalo angel of heaven
sea cow witch with a gem necklace
dives into the the deep blue sea and sand

by the power of the trench and gyre
salt of boil and blubber   O buffalo rooftop!
seeded horizon   all my idols are tragic
all that crab bait   spoiled crab
sand in my drink   in a box with seashells
beneath the bed   planet of sand and metal
rooftops attracting an orange light
golden buffalo brine
brown beer of the crab barrel
ship of sea glass knocked together   who’s there
a slow and secret whisper from the trees
meeting midway between the sky and sand like lightning
buffalo charge   bright charge of crab

 

Contributor

Sarah Anne Wallen

Sarah Anne Wallen is the author of Don’t Drink Poison (United Artists, 2015) and The Craft (Everybody Press, 2021). She co-edits Poems By Sunday and publishes books of poetry as Third Floor Apartment Press. Her work has appeared most recently in The Recluse, Elderly, Fell Swoop, Puppycat and Hurricane Review.

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The Brooklyn Rail

DEC 13-JAN 14

All Issues