micro-assertions by Poppy Cockburn

A poem

is all filler, no killer.

A poem

is a tattoo

I can’t commit to.

A poem

is a proxy.

A poem

is a wound

I’m airing.

A poem

is the last thing

I didn’t take off.

A poem

is a bowl

for a leak.

A poem

is a password

I can’t remember.

A poem

is a graveyard

I keep visiting.

A poem

is a slow blink

(but words).

A poem

is a secret

I tell everyone.

________________

Poppy Cockburn is a writer and communications creative based in Margate, UK. Her most recent poetry chapbook, titled Liquid Crystal Lovesick Demon, was published by Broken Sleep Books in 2023. Elsewhere, she’s been published by Perverse, The Rialto, Spam Zine, If a Leaf Falls Press, Rough Trade Books, NEW: The Journal of American Poetry and others. She posts micro poems on Instagram @tru_romank.