![]() Rachel Lehrman’s poetry in a previous issueof The Drunken Boat _______ | ![]() Rachel Lehrman One Step Becomes a Lifetime (one) what holds meback from living the inside ofmy head is my head (one) we walk from the station— houses, mopeds,cars with rolled-down windows birds crosseach other sendingshadows— my handstremble the back of aneck lower back thigh calves the possibilityof someone coming at any angle people incars, sweating in houses: love to love to— disrupted: to not make anysound to not takethat first step, or let this accidental brushing mean something just frombreathing with you pixilation: this is this is (the screen goes blank) once spoken, the words cannot beunsaid— (the glass turns white: condensation) (the temperature rises) if sitting heremeans forgetting if we are notmeant to feel whole (blackout: reboot) what else then? (a low hum) before blackness, before… (subtlevibrations) a rush of breath (theimage blinks… …to life) Spin it is only when Icling to this emptyroom— my vertigo talking to mymemory heavy with the things I can’t give away ~~~ you exhale downthe length of the spine deep breath the pelvic floorcontracts deep breath eyes closed topush back the night —kundalini— —serpent fire— anything to holdonto ~~~ —night— (pause) night that closesup arteries night that fogsthe brain this blindness —night— my blessing is mine only child’s silhouetteon the balcony scoliotic curve of the back the web on therailing a kind ofheaviness or gentleness in the shadowinvisible except for something that couldn’t getaway | ||