Vacillant by Lauren Scharhag

This is my heart 

on a string,

the yeah, no, 

I mean, no, yeah.

Mind on a string,

back-forth, up-down,

pink-gray yo-yo

of desire and mood,

but the body—

the body swings 

only one way,

forward-forward.

A bird breaking itself

against glass,

forever-forever,

but for you, my lips

incapable of no-no,

only heaving myself

at what is solid,

praying that

these wings

are enough.

Lauren Scharhag is the author of fourteen books, including Requiem for a Robot Dog (Cajun Mutt Press) and Languages, First and Last (Cyberwit Press). Her work has appeared in over 150 literary venues around the world. Recent honors include the Seamus Burns Creative Writing Prize, three Best of the Net nominations, and acceptance into the 2021 Antarctic Poetry Exhibition. She lives in Kansas City, MO. To learn more about her work, visit: www.laurenscharhag.blogspot.com