voice | poetry
Three years the poem
of your body, of my
eyes upon your body
of my hands reading
each muscle—
Stroking, sweeping the
scent in the rite of
worship, going down
from the beat of a neck
vein, along broad shoulders,
twisted hair trail,
belly to cock.
For three years that poem, unwritten,
trapped in my mind, not wanting to
share that I lie with Dionysus,
fear that women would take my treasure
or a god, hearing my boast, would end you
~SPL
Shannon Laws is an award-winning poet, performer, and advocate for the arts. She has been recognized with two Mayor’s Arts Awards and the Dr. Asha Bhargava Memorial Award — Community Champion. Her work has been featured in numerous journals and anthologies, and she has captivated audiences at esteemed literary events, including the Jack McCarthy Evergreen Invitational Slam, SpeakEasy, Poetry Night, Kitchen Sessions, and the West Coast Tagore Festival. Beyond her writing and performances, Shannon actively fosters literary and artistic communities. Since 2022, she has curated Corridor, a monthly “found-art” zine project that showcases the work of more than 50 contributing poets and artists. She is also the founder and host of Poetry Club, an engaging discussion group established in 2015. View more posts
shannon p. laws
Beautiful!
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Thank you Dr Sweetyshinde!
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Wow!
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Thanks susanissima! Started reading Denise Levertov, an English/American poet, from the 50’s. She used the word “cock” in her poem and it was such a shock to my system, I tried my hand at it. …oh wait, that sounds funny. It’s a shocking word to some, but when I think about a FEMALE POET in the early 20th century using it, it gives it more power. Her awards: Guggenheim Fellowship for Creative Arts, US & Canada, Robert Frost Medal, Lannan Literary Award for Poetry
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