Poetry by Rachel Barton
some guys take you to cemeteries
read gravestones no kin of yours
climb up to hug a marble angel
lay you down on hallowed ground
is this a thing? I think so
the dead are less likely to interrupt
your struggle for intimacy
search for meaning
open space and starlight
ignite the inner philosopher
–we are two souls among many–
imagination the spark that flares brightest
guys take you there to make you feel small
or afraid like you don’t already know death
hoping you will cling to them
awaken the warm wild of your body
and when you are safely back in your own bed
under your father’s roof your mother drunk
you can still feel the dent of gravel under a shoulder
bits of grass in your hair
Rachel Barton is a poet, writing coach, and editor. She is a member of the Calyx Editorial Collective, edits Willawaw Journal, and co-chairs Willamette Writers on the River. Find her poems in Oregon English Journal, Hubbub, Whale Road Review, Cloudbank, and other journals. Her chapbook, Out of the Woods, was released in 2017. Happiness Comes is just released from Dancing Girl Press.