carpenter ants slide in
& out of the baseboard
climb the erect stretch of paneling
soldiers sisters to the sexless
fully clothed i grin
like a basement gremlin with a flashlight
watch
how i miss being tossed like an ant
on its back roughened into a
straight man’s
faggot legs outstretched cheeks
jackhammered & pried open
empress of wood carpenter
queen princess of the splinter
tucked under the desk like a secret
Michael Russell (he/they) is the queer, mad mother monster behind two chapbooks, gallery of heartache (845 Press) and Grindr Opera (Frog Hollow Press). He’s the coauthor of chapbook Split Jawed with Elena Bentley (forthcoming from Collusion Books). When not entering the queer Speed Force and walking way too fast, they like long walks in the park and platonic dinners over flameless tea lights. Now, he’s reminding himself a bio is not a Grindr profile. Insta: @michael.russell.poet
the Tuesday poem is curated by rob mclennan
