Poetry by C.L. Taylor

                          ​Sano Rin CC



IN THE AFTER

In the after,
I wade through warm waters
unconcerned, now, with other
matters, until I find the
flow of you—the yes and the no of you--
the light & the dark of you, in 
all the ways you tremble & shake,
in the gentle give & the
craving make.

I grin: a fool, an idiot twirling
and demanding the world
unclench and unfurl, to match
this joy, my joy, our joy.
to fill my ears with music:
your voice,
your laughter,
your breath.
How you linger, with me,
In the after.

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​TIMESTAMP

I am never nearer you
Than this moment,
The clicking on a message 
              SENT 0 MINUTES AGO
I cannot read these words,
I cannot see you 
through the letters.
I do not want your putting
Together of nouns & adverbs & adjectives—your grammar,
clever.
I want the flesh & the blood of you.
I want the delicate, tender fumbling of you, 
the heat and chill of you,
the long & lean of you.
The rest?
The rest will keep, darling.
The rest will wait, lovely.
Extend your arms & in our embrace
make
those memories that illicit the blush,
that solicit your repose.
It’ll wait.
It’ll keep.
For now, I’ll find you buried
in my sleep, made lousy
with the days between.
And so, I read & reread, making do
with every noun & adverb & adjective,
like seeds,
chosen haphazardly or with great care?
                SENT 1 HOUR AGO 
                SENT 1 WEEK AGO
And so, you linger, and
I am never any nearer.

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C.L. Taylor (she/her, they/them) is a Pacific Northwest-based BIPOC LGBTQ+ artist/writer whose work has appeared in Typehouse Literary Magazine, Kaaterskill Basin Literary Journal, Versification, and anthologies by Brisk Publications and Alyson Publications. In her spare time, she chases mindfulness and often falls asleep in savasana pose. More info can be found at: https://www.spectaylor.com or, on Twitter: @ctaylor.

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