A Synesthete Listens to “A Case of You” by Joni Mitchell

A thin cable twinges, tarnished
in the lunar glow of neon
and cathode. Wisps of sinew vanish,
then reappear in a coded secret
that mimics birdsong. A loon’s
throat, pursed and cylindrical,
yodels through a fluted tube,
while thick sienna paint trickles
over blue-black feathers,
blends into the flecked lapis
of water or sky. In its measured
twinges, the cable transmits 
a slow cypher mapping home,
the veins reticulate and shallow.

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.