A Synesthete Listens to “Formation” by Beyonce

Curved cords of wire swing
across the frame and back
again. In the vertical screen,
spheres pulse and advance.
Throbbing silhouettes palpitate,
quivering the tapestry. A crisscross
of grey static punctuates
the swirl in a zigzag gloss.
The round layers, now sharpened,
point toward the silver sound bow,
repeating: density, density. A garden
of slender wooden spirals grows
in a hollow coil that rattles, spins,
summons ruby hills supple as skin.

TORY V. PEARMAN

Tory V. Pearman resides with her family in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she teaches literature and writing. Her work appears in Moss Puppy, Cheat River Review, Salamander, Atticus Review, and San Pedro River Review. She is a Pushcart Prize nominee.