Three Poems by Mariana Nascimento
go into one another
a clash of plasmas
a battle of connective tissue
{you/I} occupy a single unit of space
and air that hums with the power
of a thousand microscopic wars waged in our names
i weave, i web around the (you|me) complex
your flesh armour surrenders
i drink you before and after
abandon
the muscle peels away from bone
it’s an old house
shedding away misplaced wallpaper
magnificent, even: stripped bare
i consume awe
in powder form, you
inhale
inhale always part crave
exhale always part need
a “we” hinges on an unspoken invitation
small trails of crumbs left
on the path to all communication
we whisper
bid the other faintly:
cross the threshold into this living room
built for you
its function lies in its name
live here with me a few minutes
we peruse the library of the past
to truly live with one another
we let discomfort flood the house
when the moon raises its tide
and lay on the couch
inside the tranquillity of knowing
to swim, to drown
when the months run thin
cracking dry lips
disappointment comes over for dinner
we host it gracefully
waltz it to the front door
cross back the threshold into this room
built just for (the) living
or 1994/08/12 or 1994/12/08 or
[is this on the record?]
there are no willing participants !! some sterility is lost
with no one to oversee !!
some/thing exits a contrarian room
[it looks like escaping a prison]
and we thought:
what exactly has arrived?
who stamps it?
[what, someone should risk their neck and state:]
what to call it?
[and i communicated with no avail, i said: hello, thing with no “mother”]
was it just now born?
for the record, there was no “mother”:
there was illegality and a crossing of borders [underline this please]
i’ve decided this is what happened
so it must be true?
it must be true.
[it started crying extra terrestrially and i said:
we have no sympathy for criminals left,
we just ran out, unfortunately]
a clash of plasmas
a battle of connective tissue
{you/I} occupy a single unit of space
and air that hums with the power
of a thousand microscopic wars waged in our names
i weave, i web around the (you|me) complex
your flesh armour surrenders
i drink you before and after
abandon
the muscle peels away from bone
it’s an old house
shedding away misplaced wallpaper
magnificent, even: stripped bare
i consume awe
in powder form, you
inhale
inhale always part crave
exhale always part need
a “we” hinges on an unspoken invitation
small trails of crumbs left
on the path to all communication
we whisper
bid the other faintly:
cross the threshold into this living room
built for you
its function lies in its name
live here with me a few minutes
we peruse the library of the past
to truly live with one another
we let discomfort flood the house
when the moon raises its tide
and lay on the couch
inside the tranquillity of knowing
to swim, to drown
when the months run thin
cracking dry lips
disappointment comes over for dinner
we host it gracefully
waltz it to the front door
cross back the threshold into this room
built just for (the) living
or 1994/08/12 or 1994/12/08 or
[is this on the record?]
there are no willing participants !! some sterility is lost
with no one to oversee !!
some/thing exits a contrarian room
[it looks like escaping a prison]
and we thought:
what exactly has arrived?
who stamps it?
[what, someone should risk their neck and state:]
“on the 12th of august, in the city of [REDACTED] there was
a “beginning” against “everyone’s” “will””
?????
!! some simplicity is lost !!a “beginning” against “everyone’s” “will””
?????
what to call it?
[and i communicated with no avail, i said: hello, thing with no “mother”]
was it just now born?
for the record, there was no “mother”:
there was illegality and a crossing of borders [underline this please]
i’ve decided this is what happened
so it must be true?
it must be true.
[it started crying extra terrestrially and i said:
we have no sympathy for criminals left,
we just ran out, unfortunately]
mariana nascimento is a virologist currently inhabiting berlin. her first poem was about speaking rocks. she's probably thinking about jellyfish, evolution or body horror right now. probably all three. further coordinates to her work can be found on instagram [@data.desnascimento] and a couple other places.
