Automatonophilia
Love of things that falsely represent a sentient being
You married a marionette for the lumbering way
that she succumbs to teeth. You saw; she sways
and says okay. And she admires the daze
you move in, hydroplaning days away:
exultant accidents. Instead of me,
a blissful wooden girl; a wooden knee
submitted for exhibit. Deadened trees:
the shelter you inhabit. And didn’t we
expect it, eking out animatronic
epochs on the sofa? Both electric—
me with boredom; you ran programs: tricks
for trenchant eyes. Disguised, the lists you ticked
led straight to this. Your love nest: nuts and bolts,
no musts. No lust. No faults, and no one’s fault.
from on .
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Jessica Piazza‘s first full-length collection of poems, Interrobang, is forthcoming from Red Hen Press in 2013. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Southern California. She is co-founder of Bat City Review, an editor at Gold Line Press, a contributing editor at The Offending Adam and has blogged for The Best American Poetry and Barrelhouse.
