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Likestarlings is a place for talking in poems. We pair poets with poets and they write a sequence of six new works by responding in turn to one another. Our palaver blog goes beyond poetry to discuss collaboration in theory and in practice. Please take a look, and feel free to add comments, opinions and suggestions here. Read poems here
 

An Experiment in Galvanism

Whose fault is what engages matter. Exciting contradictions in the muscles of animals. One captive, the other tied, beautiful limbs interlaced: a disturbance of pairs. Skinny ropes round white robes handled. First sculpted boys then bandied girls snagged after permission. The tip of each finger four points to turn joyful, revelry beyond the joint of the knuckle. Every time a communion is offered, an affection I cannot reject. When hands are previously unoccupied. A staff to placate empty hands. Forcing fissure, the floor supporting a son every now and then singing do this, like tablature. One string pressed as board ridges gnaw. Blood from wine fretted innocence raw. Upper lip and tongue, switch tingles upon the gum corresponding with the shock. No one was injured in the collapse. Nothing bad ever. Four minutes, our pictures and home videos. Baseboard, leather, a wet cloth. Three pillars of glass or varnished wood. And a rocking chair that was my great grandfather's, bent into an arch becoming new as we count beds. Or beads. Soldered to the end of a wire. Some bells once brought against a chest in habit now, wrist in motion, blessings held, laid upon each other in interwoven patterns. A side-slip, a tree falls, a backhoe to extract a girl. There's never a shortage of disasters. The strongest light, whether eyes open or shut. You can do whatever you want--just do it slowly and don't make any noises.