“It,” by Rose Auslander (Poetry ’15)

Rose Auslander (Poetry ’15) was recently featured in Posit. Read an excerpt of Auslander’s poem “It” below:

It

better keep its hands
to itself, better not
slit your wrists &
say you did—no,

it won’t admit
trouble
sleeping, won’t look
in the mirror,
will hold
no dew, no
slow afternoons,
or home or tide
swirling or otherwise,
would rather explode—oh it
refuses to feel
the wind on its cheek,
mouth
hanging open
crying out, it
denies pain, my dear,
it will watch you
eat your heart
as if anyone
would know…

Read this poem in its entirety, as well as several others, here: https://positjournal.com/2021/09/27/rose-auslander/