appealing

The Maynard
Spring 2018

Frances Boyle
0:00
 
 

latchkey fragments

the credit crows acrid      the bric-a-brac      crisp
as it falls      the wall of the valley      vain and holy

hear it wail      a welter of shallow tinkering
the flag a mint you grab      mount to your mouth

the instruments puff the notes through      apart
in your heart      the hard spittle of the better body

knot of muscle      a trickle from the bottle
hanker a hank of rope      to plait apart

a dram      of sifted salt      you wept in the
whipping      of planted banners

the flying flag a craggy face      to the south
of the house      a slough where you can sluff off

the habit      holy or in vain      the timing tepid
the wisdom      an absent testament      what words

bar the answer      you anxious      a murmuration
the birds’ angle      folding      a turnkey tempest of air