“alien” by Natasha Deonarain

1

you one cell you

voracious zygote cyst insist

parasite blacked blastocyst

hush hush inked

rush rush linked

you zygote devour our

 

scream  ⃒

 

2

gasp—

 

grasp gasp shameful ashamed shame

after birth before

after death more

blood birth chord

 

scream  ⃒

 

breathe—

gasp grasp clasp

stun—

 

3

awake alive blood blacked blacks

violent gold gold

asleep awake

open closed closed open cold cold

petals iced petals wilt you you

perfumed you consumed you—

 

whole

 

4

narcissist

 

blacks bloods yellows ashamed

shame same violent violet

bend blown closed echo echo

 

scream  ⃒

 

5

stunning you stunned stun sun

alien sister one one

child mother one

 

scream  ⃒

 

you there you you

sister sister alien sister

one one one one one one—

 

6

still cry shrill lie remember you you you

forget blue blue true fade

alone alive a lie cry cry

sister

cry cry

 

scream  ⃒

 

∞

Natasha Deonarain ‘s first chapbook, 50 etudes for piano, will be published by Assure Press. She has been selected for the 2020 Three Sisters Award by NELLE magazine. Her work has appeared in The Inflectionist Review, Rogue Agent Journal, The RavensPerch and Door is Ajar among others. She lives between Colorado and Arizona, depending on weather patterns and sometimes practices medicine.