"marigold exposures" by Melissa Eleftherion

marigold exposures

i woke up in a PDF
star map of lichen
the sun coats our feathers gold

i google myself & find Art Garfunkel
tender on the grid
the sweaty weird

feather the sound barrier
my white sanitized hands
jetsam is a thing of intent

mercury of suffering & salt
discovered I’ve been eating moth larvae
potency exhaust

vitality ruptures
a voiceless perfection
marigold exposures

who will walk among
the bloated deads
ripe flower heads

activating landscapes
the finches

Melissa eleftherion

Melissa Eleftherion (she/they) is a writer, a librarian, and a visual artist. Born and raised in Brooklyn, she holds degrees from Brooklyn College, Mills College, and San Jose State University. They are the author of the full-length poetry collections field guide to autobiography (The Operating System, 2018) and gutter rainbows (Querencia Press, 2024), as well as twelve chapbooks including abject sutures (above/ground press, 2024). Her work has been widely published and featured in venues like Quarter after Eight, Sixth Finch, Verse Daily, and Barren Magazine. Melissa now lives in northern California where she manages the Ukiah Branch Library, curates the LOBA Reading Series, and serves as Poet Laureate Emeritus of the City of Ukiah. Recent work is available at www.apoetlibrarian.wordpress.com.

Headshot: Melissa Eleftherion

Photo Credit: Staff