[And perhaps / she of startling sight]
Mary Zhou | Poetry
And perhaps
she of startling sight
sees light from [ hearts break
so the light can ] summer hea
rt bitter and clear sun speed
rot run deep in
soil [ the heart moves
slow ] heaven over
heaven overabundance move
me away – towards – against the
world pop of pain as crocus
follicles break s
kin & bloom sick wide
open stay o
pen [ may we be happy without
hope ] days in fantasy
rarely return
antidivination: me
aning meaning is a chance event
let me miss this in
carnation before i go mix
the sweat in your
old shirt with mine at
the touch of a brea
th what we call [ a good
honest day’s work ]
Mary Zhou is a multimedia artist based in St. Louis, from Orange County, California. They are exploring Chinese ancestral spirituality and queer diasporic identity through poetics and movement. Mary is the author of cave mouth tongue loose (The Head & The Hand Press, 2024) in collaboration with visual artist Nora E Luks. They have received fellowships and support from Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Tin House, Kenyon Review Writers Workshop, and VONA/Voices. Mary’s work has been shared in Michigan Quarterly Review, The Offing, and Fence. More at: marzhou.com