research poetics

For Thorfy

self other other self
and where am I in this
equation?
i. i. we. you. other. self.

we are talk­ing of
colour and sweat
skin and liquids
touch taste vision
none of them make their way
to the page

I filter you into
a thou­sand sentences
but you overflow
and I will never capture
the essen­tial you
if you exist

we sift you for patterns

the body is carefully
excised
care­fully transposed
by the sharp ascenders
of serif fonts
the modes of its desires
the hun­gers of its predation
are care­fully glossed

inter­pret­a­tion is a razor
to slice away flesh
to slice away colour
to slice away genitals
this lan­guage I sub­ject you to
moulds your body
my gaze
moulds your skin
moulds you

i am watch­ing you for a sign
but you are slippery
and evade my meaning