Work week (aria)

C
wrench the mechanism to its finest working order in the dark dust the slip the turning of the wheel defy the potter o my body now it’s started guard yourself against the ever oncoming slaughter work harder my machine there’s struggle to be made make me nerve make me armor

Issue 4

https://manyworlds.place/issue-4/slp/

by slp

C
wrench the mechanism to its finest working order in the dark dust the slip the turning of the wheel defy the potter o my body now it’s started guard yourself against the ever oncoming slaughter work harder my machine there’s struggle to be made make me nerve make me armor

steel for work knuckles brass for taxes act like scratchin in the concrete discrete aint old hat this engine’s not the rust engine not the bust engine this engine’s the dust engine wield my wealth of dust and bolts so bad like we were the first engine

and I work for not to make more somethin of myself when I am plenty
work to make more plenty for my family where there isn’t any

how long to get it how hard to hit it’s hardly even when the stars in the far corners of the jar of this world this war there are no walls are and grit does time gets it done gets weary metal working in the weary sun grit gets dirt gets the odd nickel six penny copper seven to one and there are always will be none so while the clay is animated may the jaded day into the faded even

slp is a Madqueer/genderqueer/queer poet, songwriter, musician, and educator living in Colorado. They can be found vaguely under-promoting their first studio album widow’s daughter, recording their next three, or hermette-ing with their Smith-Corona typewriter and their melancholia. Their manuscripts have been finalists for the Ahsahta Sawtooth Competition and Slope Book Prize, and the chapbook competitions at Ashahta and Gazing Grains. They perform under the name maudlyn monroe (IG @maudlynmonroe), bc they have so many emotions.