The Charges Are Stalking & Arson

The sizzlepop. The bang bang bang. The air
a stage where cherrybombs & I play spark

to vacant lots; it’s nothing new, this tune
of Zippo click, of fuse, the blue-tip plume

on resin, weeds & shed, historic barns
exploding first in swallows. Don’t shush me.

Powder speaks: dirt is mute. If I’m denied
I’ll fire the lot; I’ll gladly woo with gas—

o love, my love’s a cuff-struck match, my suit
the fabric’s curl to petaled ash—take me,

take ruin, a realm of ether, atom-bright, a pause
before the flint’s quick kiss; take me—who else

can hear how shot glass sings the grass’s name;
how bale, dry & quiet, speaks its love to flame?

ξ

"The Charges Are Stalking & Arson" first appeared in AGNI.

Amy Beeder’s work has recently appeared in American Poetry Review and Beloit, and her book, And So Wax Was Made & Also Honey, came out in January 2021 from Tupelo Press. She teaches poetry in Albuquerque, NM.

Relish: An Internet Archive is a twice-monthly column featuring poems, stories, and essays that were first published in print literary magazines and journals but have no former presence online. This initiative strives to disseminate more excellent writing to a wider audience. To submit to this column, please read our submission guidelines.