Lori Cayer is the author of two volumes of poetry: Stealing Mercury and Attenuations of Force. She serves as co-editor of English poetry for CV2 and is co-founder of the Aqua Books Lansdowne Prize for Poetry/Prix Lansdowne de poésie. Lori works by day as an editorial assistant for a scientific research journal.


Close throat

Usually fire to fire.   Strung.

Circling the snake    through the night.

Sutured.      House was shattered.

               Screw through the floor.

Garments stitched to bodies.       Cinch.

Instances of choking.    Various sums.

Furtive operations.     Given to strange strange

paper     fluttered up     flashed over.

                          This of course

                          silences.