Poem: Spine

At 23, I wrote a romantic poem about back pain.

Poem: Spine
image: Liy Yusof, 20 June 2009

SPINE

Perhaps if I aligned mine just right,
I could love you better.
Your fingertips would appreciate
a line of stars crackling under skin.

I could slip by these storms like a
gymnast fish, swiftly past offers of science
or circus lights. These bones should only
fit against yours in the dark.

and baby, you have met your share of serpents, you say
mythology is so dead it never existed— so turn the page!
My bones are columns of fresh text, tightly bound,
crisply anticipating your weather.

Without pain, I could safely carry dreams;
I could stretch out like summer and rise to you
like the verdurous mountain which for centuries
has practiced to meet the sea.


Liy, 23. A poem I would read onstage and introduce as "a romantic poem about back pain," for example at Readings @ No Black Tie in Kuala Lumpur, July 2010.

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Liy is a Southeast Asian Muslim knowledge worker and poet, sharing what they learned from the periphery to prep for precarious futures. This is an ad-free space outside of the algo. If you're new here (hello!) or need a refresher, start here for house rules. Here is what I am up to now. I spend time thinking out of my zettelkasten notes system and sharing playlists of curated treasures from my time travels. Consider subscribing for free to stay in touch— I only send out letters a few times a year. If you valued something here, tell me over DM (if we have access to each other) or tip this cryptid with a message— that sends a clear signal of appreciation ✨