Poetry

heavier than heaven

by Italo Ferrante

i dream of a body     at rest forever
it’s mine     i recognise its angular mass
of lumps & knots     how it collapses
inwards     when i don’t pipe-feed it
i catch my spine     losing another tussle
with gravity     i suck in my stomach
as far as i can     my calorie countdown
reminds me     that i’m one fast away
from mathematical beauty     the police tape
across the refrigerator     white light  
is the sum of all colours      except me
i curse the star     which was kind enough
to burst & breed me     let me spew my guts
into space     until i become weightless

Appeared in Issue Spring '23