Track 26: Truth, slanted by Ra Ebrahim

There, having slammed myself 

                                                          down the cliff face 

to lie prone at the bottom, 

abandoned, finally finished. 

Collected my truisms of self- 

                                                           obliteration,

so gorgeous sunk to six stone

                                                   stretching taut cling film on bone i’m getting better. 

Now tolerating the unbearable indignity 

                                                             that follows, the endeavour of living

in the aftermath of smashed molars 

                                                             that body still sometimes appears to me, whole

in visions of absolute reason, screaming its insistence–                                                               

                                                                              i can see my ribs and i feel fine. 

The smudge at the bottom of the cliff 

                                                               with its ruined mouth, says nothing.

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Ra Ebrahim (they/them) is a freelance writer and a poetry editor at the online literary magazine, The Candid Review. Their recent work can be found in Resurrection Magazine and Major 7th Magazine, with forthcoming work in BusTalk Lit, or on twitter @projectiondept. They are based in Singapore.