Magpies by Niki Brennan
practice blood magic in your bedroom
with a shattered wine glass
summon bottles, roaches, erections
find witchcraft in brushing your teeth and spitting out your window
and howling at the moon, mad with birdsong
hold a curse in the cavity between tongue and cheek
spit it into someone’s mouth
be sunflower stuck
stare at the sky until you see the centre of the earth
do yoga in a pentagram of dirty clothes
expose your anus to magpies
seek chaos in buttered cereal
and bowls of toast
dream of the famous necromancers in the night-time treacle
I’m not usually the submissive but they’re tying me up
and teaching me to dance alone
that quiet manic bedroom waltz
that leaves you laughing aloud
into the empty space
Niki Brennan is a writer and poet from Glasgow, Scotland. His work has been featured in Kalposia and Valeur. He holds an MLitt in Creative Writing from the University of Strathclyde. Twitter: @NikiBrennan_