Ontogeny
I have become somewhat corpse-happy.
A mayfly preoccupied with life cycles.
24 carat lungs, decreasing by the hour.
A moss-covered clock; the hands baking
into the musty plastic — a melting moon.
I wish to be a siren of the sea. A pillar of
salt frolicking on the rocks; little tomes.
Wolf-bitten, I am sick about the shade.
I wash it down with a thimble of rum,
smattering its coarseness against my gums.
Courtenay Schembri Gray is the author of four poetry collections, the latest being THE MAGGOT ON MAPLE STREET (Anxiety Press). Her work has appeared in journals such as The Bolton Review and CAROUSEL. She resides in the North of England. More: Twitter @courtenaywrites + themaplemoon.substack.com