a bisexual's ghazal

Cori Lohstroh

If I were a snow woman with a heart and eyes, 
what would you use to construct my eyes? 

Sculpt my arms, my smile, my breasts 
as intricately as the queerness in my eyes. 

Tease the roughness from my edges with gloveless palms, 
our gazes mirrored nebulae, concentric like cat’s eyes. 

Dance with me in the evergreens, hemlock baptisms 
guided by soft lantern glow, will-o-the-wisps in my eyes. 

Lift my melting body to pursed lips. Pull long, crisp sips 
from the fountain of poetry in our eyes. 

Splash in the growing pool around you – not just enough to get your feet
wet, but enough to drown the hesitation in your eyes.

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Cori Lohstroh is a proposal writer and freelance editor. She is passionate about tabletop games, learning new languages, hockey, and questioning reality. Her work can be found in Tempered Runes Press, Beyond Words, Flights Literary Magazine, and the forthcoming Archipelago. Her debut chapbook, LIVING MONSTERS/DAMAGED GHOSTS, will be released by Variant Literature in June 2021.

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