WEBVTT

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And this next poem
actually recently came out

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in Ninth Letter as the winner of
the Ninth Letter Literary Prize

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for Poetry--

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Congrats.

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--chosen by the
incredible Tommy Blount.

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And this is the opening
poem of the new collection.

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The name of it comes from
a term originating actually

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on Craigslist, where
form connections-- there

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is M for F, male for female,
et cetera, et cetera.

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And the phrase T for
T is trans person

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seeking another trans person.

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"T4T"

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"There is no known route for
how the word 'cum' came to mean,

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what it does.

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But imagine, if you could
stitch a lineage back

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to the Latin cum,
meaning to step--

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hence, movement;
hence, a destination.

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The body moving, perhaps
dancing toward a kind of end,

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vanishing point of
flesh, trembling tongue,

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fucked, apocalyptic.

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Apocalypsis.

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A veil shifted, and
what awaits beneath.

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Realms by any other given name,
still draw blood if it wont.

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But shit, turns out there's
no emoji for a rubber

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dick sat heavy on the tongue.

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Go figure.

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I can still feel it twitch,
hold you in my mouth--

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spit, slick, apocrypha,
sweet faggot,

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magic, the way we speak organs
out of their Christian name.

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Link cock to clit, bruise
breast to flatten chest,

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bury knuckles inside
a wet new anatomy.

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Sucked finger shudder.

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Lust.

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Hot alchemy.

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Holy, how even air
becomes wind with moving?

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Holy, how you fuck me
by my one unburied name?

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And when I tell you
how beautiful you are,

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you write laughter, kiss
me, and call me a dyke.

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Your smile arrives
day-bright, unburdens

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the slur of all its blood."