this incompatibility of sound
you mentioned wavering on the cliff
flowers everywhere there is no chance
of slipping off into the gulf
stars splintering in the coal night
in the randomly packed lava
seeping beneath your head
whenever you attempt to speak
to spit out a word without caution
monosyllabic utterances
a grunt a growl a grumbling
so infinitely distorted
no one walking by could ever discern
the catch the snag the snare
ANDREA MOORHEAD is editor of Osiris and author of several collections of poems, including The Carver’s Dream (Red Dragonfly Press, 2018) and À l’ombre de ta voix (Le Noroît, 2017). Recent translations of Francophone poetry include Night Watch by Abderrahmane Djelfaoui (Red Dragonfly Press) and Dark Menagerie by Élise Turcotte (Guernica Editions). Her French work was featured in Phoenix 23 (Marseille); her English work will be featured in the Autumn 2018 issue of The Bitter Oleander.
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