wednesdays are for the words: lyrae

the ever-rocktastic lyrae van clief-stefanon is a finalist for the national book award! for real. she is a brilliant & f-ing gorgeous writer whose work carries its super-charged-darks with grace & attitude. she also happens to be someone i consider a life-long & life-saving friend.

in honor of lyrae's kick-ass amazingness and the fizz & bang of her poetry, i offer you a piece from her most recent book, open interval (which you should all run out and buy, not in the least because poets make no moneys):

Transit of Venus

The actors mill about the party saying rhubarb
because other words do not sound like conversation.
In the kitchen, always, one who's just discovered
beauty, his mouth full of whiskey and strawberries.
He practices the texture of her hair with his tongue;
in her, five billion electrons pop their atoms. Rhubarb
in electromagnetic loops, rhubarb, rhubarb, the din increases.

congrats, love! i wish i was in ithaca so we could head to felicia's
and have it out with some cocktails and dancing.

{image via BOMBLOG}