MOTHER OF PEARL
by cassidy mcfadzean
The painting of Selinius was satyrical
Why do you write such blasphemy?
It was Peter, Paul, John, James, &c.
Stagnating is an active verb
Did you see my toppling tree?
I’m painting in a shade only tetrachromats can see
It was birds, fish, reptiles, some mammals, &c
We stigmatized stigmata
Took to pretence and subterfuge
Rot, a generative process
The worst thought: a dead-end idea
Our lives were two split-screens before you entered
We burned the effigy
It was strong, resilient, and iridescent
Mother, dregs or scrum concreted
The sound of your voice became vibrations
Thrumming against my body