catoptric
sap of spruce for its scent stab a pustule
throw stick in lake watch it spin
reaction leaves a trail direction is only relevant if
you know where a triangle of ice breaks off
you want to go from the whole
floating until it melts waves carry dead leaves
surface i press flesh
into inbetween settle
slats in the deck bone through flesh to wood
an imprint to decrease encounters
to soak up heat a raven calls to unfurl
eggs underwater begin to wake salamanders wait
under leaves to let go awareness heightens
am i spending time or passing it pull a card
if i am in it do i feel it or is it only a message
one is missing wind catching the corner of my shirt
caught in the corner of your eye my relation to that which is outside
i want a philosophy of flight that has nothing to do with arms
i want another translation for what is holy from ice to water & pulled equally
upwards as it sinks i want
& therein is the water’s collection
everything is a little bit unsettled only the edges
incidents change to matter
i tilt my hips & get closer to the edge upside down
insides closer
nina jane drystek is a writer and performer based in Ottawa, unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe territory. Her writing has appear in print and online, and she is the author of the chapbooks missing matrilineal (above/ground, 2023), a:of:in (Gapriot Press, 2021) and knewro suite (Simulacrum Press, 2019). She is one of the co-founders of Riverbed Reading Series and writes collaborative poetry with VII (authors or two chapbooks). More: textcurious.ca + Instagram @textcurious