"The World as Wound", Anurak Saelaow
After Jack Xi
As whirlpool. As wand. As window. As one
whole gaze refracted in the watch’s glass.
As widowed fragments of metaphor. As wolf
scrabbling at hearth, wearing its form down
to the size of a lap. As wager. As wincing walk
barefoot, over a sun-beaten tarmac.
As weathervane. As whirls of gelato
trickling too quickly into the sleeve. As wetness.
As too much wine in the plum sauce.
As wine gone sour in the mouth.
As written and foretold: as warned. As water
pooled in the brain, pressing always inwards.
As worms in the gut. As wooden effigy
to be upheld or burnt at harvest. As winter
frosting over the windows. As word.