In Places Bed

Sleep,

a place for magic tricks and dreams

and romance after yes stands a 

chance hearing. 

Sounds in Shuffled Minor, a Three-girl-Monte,

we dance to b               -flat cries, 

keep the us pressed together/awake,

in places bed.

 

The marriage of our AM bodies parallel now,

two bullets awake, 

our shared spotlight softens us to 

packing,              hugs and snacks for daughters, 

sliding a curved heart across tables, 

past our eyes,

we press send. 

 

To separate buses, 

go Daughters, go

grooming for distance, 

hearing no in subjects Magic, 

they learn to pull missiles 

out of a hat.

 

We hang on

to hoops and rings 

still-worn,

vanished,

our open circus stilts carry 

us in years,

we romance in hallway plaque. 

Transcripts in places bed             silent,

kept pond-safe as our Forward Daughters 

march the us to

sleep. 

 

by Jamez Chang

Jamez Chang’s work has appeared or is forthcoming in FRiGG, Prime Number, Lines + Stars, Boston Literary Magazine, Poydras Review, Marco Polo, and Yes, Poetry. After graduating from Bard College, Jamez went on to become the first Korean-American to release a hip-hop album, Z-Bonics (1998), in the United States. He lives in Englewood Cliffs, NJ with his wife and 3 daughters. Visit www.jamezchang.com