Crossing the Manhattan Bridge


his feet took the rhythm of the cables
    that held up the metal
where his feet took the rhythm of the cables
only I stepped in shadow, stepped in shadow
of the cables
                   held up metal

where his feet took the rhythm of the cables
  was all blue & the cables
    that held up the metal
where his feet took the rhythm of the cables
were white

            & together made the sky
blue & white

             until an orange storm
came over my eyes
                 to rain brighter colors
from the pill he pushed into my eyes

like he pushed his gut against my spine
when he danced closer then I'd meant
when we got to Brooklyn
where we'd gone to dance
before the memorial
                     of war

where no one ever danced
but squirrels

Elizabeth Kate Switaj © 2009


Justice

we are not our red robes  form
           of the Prince  sword
resurrects his power in knots
 of flesh & claims

            which gets around
            he executes

      in your name, victim
          survivor
if necessary (dissenting) family member

                          empty (the) scales
can weigh (your case)


                     there must be something you need
               ruled   


Elizabeth Kate Switaj © 2009

First Not Sex

so young we didn't know why he warned us not to bleed
that isn't right——he said we'd better not be

we didn't have to wonder if we should claim we were
he'd have killed us

or just left us is what we didn't have to /k/now

so young we didn't know we could bleed
from anything but sc(rapes)

                          & cuts
                                & glass left in our /cub/bies

                                we were the school sluts

so young it wasn't our fault
it never could have been——this way we grew to know

          more than bookshelves breaking plaster wings
        all our creased ears

Elizabeth Kate Switaj © 2009

Over River

                              a (broken) woman's (broken) back
even women cross                                                      where torrents crash

Elizabeth Kate Switaj © 2009

Flash Flood

  no one expects to drown this far inland
where aqueducts aren’t raised & copper
not laid beneath cars & aching feet

  and the drowned did not expect
water to turn on them
without granting them scales

  their souls melt torrents
from mountains we can’t see
boiling each other’s rage

  Elizabeth Kate Switaj © 2009