Iowa born Mytili Jagannathan grew up in West Virginia and has degrees from Brandeis & Penn. Habenicht Press published her first book, Acts. The label on her vitrine in the museum last week was literally “R is for Rosenbach.”

 

aRticle

 

 

some sold their secrets

to such far advanced eyes

 

three hundred lumens for a

night quiz for intimates

 

the head of a reptile

under a pillow

 

who trained for

the race to look

 

to look like

she could

 

kindle a riot, embroidering

more room for living

 

megawatt monsters

in a Rorshach

for rulers

 

dress as a guest

but play an invader

 

rattle of lace

and milk of steel

 

and in and out of weeks and

almost over a year

 

one’s crime’s in

one’s crib, clearly

 

some will add to these

 

when the ocean

was churned

the zoo was born

 

and what rose was red

as a present of nectar

 

for ransom of

unkept things