Katie Howes
Backwards Poem
I'm curious about the incidence of the word rather.
Always something to scratch.
Always something to chant,
can't leave a thing to utter chance.
You, too, have seen what the wing—the wind, has been through.
Analogous to a blink (or a wink)
and the inner workings of the brain.
Nobody, nothing, to blame.
I want an account of all the languages that have a word equivalent to blame.
"Who could blame you?" "In a situation like that?"
"I'm to blame." "Don't admit guilt." "Blame? It's not the same."
The class made a long paper chain, adding the hundredth link
the day I went to the dentist.
"Incidence and Blaming." That'll be the name.
Bio
I am an MFA graduate from the University of Washington and I live in Minnesota with my husband and two cats. My most recent work can be found in Sharkpack Journal.