Tempest
by Ray Kruger
In the style of Jericho Brown’s Duplex poem
I will know you with open or closed fist,
With knuckle and teeth, I will behold you.
My knuckles and your teeth weaker than bonds,
yet thicker than high water and spilled blood.
How to not drown in water nor our blood,
How to breathe when made to share the same lung?
Our breath the wind, this lung an ocean,
We must be willing to tame this tempest.
Yet, how to tame a tempest born of blood,
How to calm these hearts, how to break these bonds?
The heart is the greatest bond, this I know,
A dark prison of both body and soul.
And from this prison, with body and soul,
I will know you with open or closed fist
Ray Kruger is a biracial and transgender writer from St. Louis, MO. He is a big fan of everything and anything dark, beautiful, and sublime. His poetry and prose have previously appeared in The Raven Review, The Lindenwood Review, The Orange Rose literary magazine, and, most recently, Moon City Review. To keep up with writing updates and to find out what he’s currently been reading, you can find him @reading_with_ray_ on Instagram.