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Creature pulse, learning the shape of it all

Steffi Drewes

(to the tune of steady thunder)

Count it hemispheres count it
hands held count
it growls count it mews count
it hated sounds
count it hay stuck in hair count it spoon-fed lovers count it breast-fed
count it spilt milk count it spelling errors count it
borrowed count it virus contractions
count it one too
many doorknobs count it misplaced count it new

mimic comic mimic mending mimic
sloth and tooth-fairy mimic losing
mimic moose tracks mimic pleasure palpitations
mimic snowstorm or color mimic IQ
airborne mimic antics ancillary
mimic ancient mimic
memorized speech acts mimic this compass mimic my mimic synonyms for
mimic riveting applause mimic heels pitched bedside mimic doubling up and at ‘em mimic
Eureka!

it counts
feet stepped on it
counts altitudes climbed
it counts missing body
parts it counts edited tragedy
it counts hollowed-out spaces it counts stale bread it counts can’t remember it counts
crescent moons it counts
insects maimed it counts greedy hands it counts buckling un-
it counts steps it counts

keep it
windows raised keep it just this once
keep it pets still
living keep it record length of time
gravity was betrayed onetwothree keep it dull knives keep it inside keep it a
cross an abyss keep it simple keep it a kin
(keep my daffodils out of it)
keep it still keep it
near



Steffi Drewes

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