To Be Looked At (2025), Inez Lynch Alfaro
Sundry theatres leap TOWARD A future tense
woke this morning to a joke of green breeze, slight ease
another plane ascends another feeling angled differently
a season shifts into view already a year this circle
one updates the calendar so more contents to pass by
weeks of illusion waking through walking through
despair is overused especially in private rooms
when screens are too much to bear, the air
storefronts obscure the forecast in the longest month
that storefront likes to tell me what i mean
night revs its descent the cars keep doing with their lights
flecks of light render the depth of field divisible
i fumbled the mundane expectation
already a year since i saw her face all the screens i would erase
weeks outside the perspective, i step out onto the street
leaves skate the earth in particles springly
a season shifts into view already a year this circle
a circle isn’t perfect is it made to break?
loosely, without notice, night declines to answer
to hasten one’s own death is to loosen a string already falling away
i wish to fall upon a no-state outlasting misbelief
to figure what this means like cups collecting at the sink
i do not know how else to dare
past the breakers where the current shifts
breakers mark the boundary of should and could she kept swimming
night declines loosely, without notice
sleep settles into the texture of what i mean by despair
weeks outside perspective? step out onto the street
sky turns neon tangerine a gush to softer blue
total music sweeps up the skin and through
it leaps pre-memory, plays the classical pleasure that is weather
the force of having seen her again, lines thick with it, joy?
a rashly written sentence thickens its own feeling
actual fire for the loss it has been a year from where this bottoms out
the season settles into the texture of what i mean by despair
the folds of that dress how to wring them
to figure what this means with cups collecting at the sink
how many cups of coffee threaten a life
night declines to answer
i could trace these worry lines rapidly slip down them
to draw is a pouring forth, as from the lip of a jar
a year turns thick with its own resetting
so many slips in the trying
in a litany of origins all survival and thriving
are we all cats astray in the alleyway
we could fall upon a no-state outlasting misbelief
snowtrapped powerlines obscure the forecast in the longest month
i should not wait for this place to tell me what i mean
sirens roll their sound around where elsewhere bells would toll
a circle isn’t perfect is it made to break?
this season has lasted a year
i would have rented a casual errand instead
on the street umbrellas flush perpendicular to sun
trust trapped us, i laughed to myself in the flicker rain
flecks of light render the depth of field divisible
actual fire for the loss it has been a year from where this bottoms out
the folds of that dress how to wring them
you could trace these worry lines rapidly slip down them
how many cups until this bottoms out
past the boundary of should and could she kept swimming
past the breakers where the current shifts
survival thrusts tangibly life from insurance, health from industry
this season has lasted a year, settles into the texture of what i mean by despair
update the calendar for more contents to pass by
this forecast is the already complex continued
i would have rented a casual errand instead
the new emergencies are the old hardly rinsed
the new requirement for immediate use is vague caution
i fumbled the mundane expectation
past the breakers where the current shifts
the greater things arrived at hand i am unprepared only
can you trace the productivity of my steamed envelopes
plenty of relations exist in the amplitude
handle carefully the wandering procedure like bees in trill joy
these sundry theatres leap toward a future tense
i do not know how else to dare
this season has lasted a year
plenty of relations in the amplitude
to draw is a pouring forth
so many slips in the trying
so rashly written, thick with it
the force of seeing her again
a force, the loss of it
past the breakers where the current shifts
already a year since i saw her face
all the screens i would erase
i fumbled the mundane expectation
i wrote this a year ago
two years ago
a circle isn’t perfect is it made to break?
loosely, night declines
to slip down these worry lines
in a litany of origins all survival is thriving
where fountains drain in the ruins park
circles imperfect already break
i don’t need to die today
PAIGE WEBB
Pagie Webb is an interdisciplinary poet-scholar and an assistant professor in Kansas City. You can find their poetry and hybrid work in Anomaly, Blackbird, Colorado Review, Denver Quarterly, DIAGRAM, Indiana Review, The Kenyon Review, Poets.org, Poetry Northwest, Quarterly West, Vinyl, VOLT, West Branch, and their chapbook Tussle (dgp).