“not all men,” “Hover | Fly” and “Comrades and Cotton Sheets”

“not all men,” “Hover | Fly” and “Comrades and Cotton Sheets”

“not all men,” “Hover | Fly” and “Comrades and Cotton Sheets”

not all men

I dig for shelter

in a homespun

 endometrial layer

each new moon

like the first rain

each crimson drop

 seething in the

songs of

the blood

I mark myself with

the war paint you

made to keep

me small

for

my sisters

are coming

Home

thighs full

of thunder on

shaking ground

Home

to

the night

the streets

the bargaining table

never yours to take

never yours to keep

we reclaim

each of our stars

                           (a raging red

                     crown

                               of conquest)

and despite it all

they still shine for

y o u

Hover | Fly

in heat

we break

like coffee cups

splintered

splattered

all over your floor

how could I

forget

how you

abhor raw

naked mess

the cracks

are canyons

in Japan

there is a word

for this

   you know? what I mean

when the light can’t get in

you fill the abyss with gold

if you can afford it

    in this

economy?

you run for the hills

Comrades and Cotton Sheets

out of the woods and

into the wild

my voice is fed

raised on jasmine

and foxglove

you’re right

I am feral

and

these kisses

are out for revenge

an eye for a tooth

an eye tooth for silver lashes

eviscerating every

atom of him

I barely sense

in the grove of

your surface skin

evening prayers

sequestered

Blue and Purple

bloom on my heart

and along porcelain legs

your words

marking me

we’ve all been eaten alive

one time or another

About the Author

Kate MacAlister

Writer, Social Justice Witch and biomedical scientist Kate MacAlister discovered the art of poetry as a healing ritual many years ago. Her poems conjure spell-binding images of intricate inner worlds and the struggles in our contorted society. She tells stories inspired by her work that have been published in various online literary journals and printed anthologies. Whether it is her work in the hospital or fighting the patriarchy: above all these are stories about human connection and the dreams of revolution.

Read more work by Kate MacAlister.