A static shadow
collapses.
The red fog of its sound
cups my ears in
a loving way, and an alphabet
reverses.
The vibration this releases
breeds a hive
and my tongue
recalls the wasp
a machine resembles.
Matthew Mahaney is the author of The Plural Space (Salò 2016), The Storm that Bears Your Name (The Cupboard 2015), and Your Attraction to Sharp Machines (BatCat 2013). He lives in Madison, Wisconsin. 
