it is the time of year we mourn the people

we moved to this city for / when i say

jaded i mean i’ve seen myself crawling

backwards out of every new year’s

haunted mouth / i dare you to mis[s]-

gender me as narcissus / consider

i dove towards the shape further [past/

passed] my reflection / consider i 

never planned on surviving-- if strength 

is found in the supporting minutiae 

between more authoritative muscle 

groups / then might gender be 

the space undefined / between 

when i am moving / but before  

i land?

L. R. Bird (they/them) is an interdisciplinary archivist currently surviving small-town America. They are the author of BLOODMUCK (The Atlas Review, 2018) and INVENTION OF THE MOUTH (Dream Pop Press, 2019). birdpoet.github.io