Song

By HONOR MOORE

 

Of sheets and skin and fur of him,

bed of ground and river, of land,

or tongue, of arms, the wanton field,

of flame and flowers, stalk of him,

harp, arboreal, steep and rush.

House him in the coil of my hair,

silk of him and open sea, flood, star,

toes of him, stickiness, of flesh.

Rind of him, gaze, of salt and heat,

face, food and blade, island in bright

bloom, bristle, blossom, all this night

lie long with him as dark flies fleet.

Transparent, filled up, emptied out,

here of him, here I find his mouth.

 

 

Honor Moore is the author of three collections of poetry, Red Shoes, Darling, and Memoir.

Click here to purchase Issue 01

From the beginning, The Common has brought you transportive writing and exciting new voices. We are committed to supporting writers and maintaining free, unrestricted access to our website, but we can’t do it without you. Become an integral part of our global community of readers and writers by donating today. No amount is too small. Thank you!

Song

Related Posts

Two Poems by Heather Bourbeau

This forest is named for the first head of the National Forest Service, who warned of assuming natural resources were inexhaustible, who said without conservation we pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure, who asked if these resources were for the benefit of us all or for the use and profit of a few? He was also a leading eugenicist.

February 2026 Poetry Feature: Fatimah Asghar and Shane Moran

FATIMAH ASGHAR
i cursed the frog / that found its way into / my house. murderous, i laid / poison for the ants. i threw / my moon in the trash. / when he cheated, i wished / him a hall of mirrors. / doomed to endless versions / of him. i prayed they’d undo / each other. & they did. i took / from the earth without permission."

Mountain, Stone

LENA KHALAF TUFFAHA
Do not name your daughters Shaymaa, / courage will march them / into the bullet path of dictators. / Do not name them Sundus, / the garden of paradise calls out to its marigolds, / gathers its green leaves up in its embrace. / Do not name your children Malak or Raneem, / angels want the companionship