Poetry By Amanda Oaks

WAR OF HEARTS CAGE OF BONES

the field      is winter     wrecked     still
open      unmoved     after     despite

the white      warpath    of being      swept
back     the struggle     of spring      feels

so far    off       where     are you     where
are you    my eyes      search      the sky

for a slender   break      in the        clouds
but I       only find     mourning        & the

moon      collapsing     in grief        to stand
back up again      & again             & again

& how is it       that     you are       nowhere
& everywhere     at once




WITCH MARKS

my lips     hold      spells       hex      hands      want
what was lost    in the rendering    want       to be
in       or      the    whole      damn      flame       they
say     slattern     say night     say     moon       say
yin yen yang      while       cackling      under       tears
kept     tucked     away        because    I’m        afraid
if      I      pull them      out      & let them        fall
they’ll never      stop




HOW TO COOK A LION

notice her    & never    stop
noticing     until      you’re
close     enough     to bruise
her dreams     heart     neck
close       enough     to catch
& cup        the words     that
flack      around      the room
from her       hot     under
the collar      mouth—  sass
her skin       the walls    your
hands        with     gasoline &
remember that      she is
the only      match       left

​

 Bio: Amanda Oaks is the founding editor of Words Dance, an independent press + biweekly online poetry journal. Her work has recently appeared in Thrush Poetry Journal, decomP, Lunch Ticket, Drunk In A Midnight Choir, The Black Napkin, & Stirring. She is the author of several poetry collections: Hurricane Mouth (NightBallet Press, 2014), her co-authored split book, I Eat Crow (Words Dance, 2014) & her series of free eChapbooks. Her newest chapbook, The River is Everywhere, is available from Red Flag Poetry. : http://amandaoaks.com

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