Janine Certo

Gnaw

The surgery slow
to heal, the parent
still undiagnosed,
the lover no longer
in the bed, the baby
teething,
the dog under the table
            or under the deck,
loyalties and bones,
bugs on those
wilted perennials of doubt,
the forgotten and the all
day long, the non-reply,
a sign or the nail-side
of a thumb, the meticulous
spreadsheet you keep
checking, an event
looms and what
should have been
ordered, what
should have been said,
seeds wedged
in the jaws or a paste
stuck to the roof
of your mouth, the wishes
and the unfinished, paint
overdue, worn away,
eroded, corroded,
a vexation, a hunger
of the vitals, persistent
force, a self-
sharpening
under the surface,
the mouse
looking for a little warmth—

Janine Certo is the author of four poetry books, including O Body of Bliss, winner of the Longleaf Poetry Prize (2023); and Elixir, winner of both the New American Poetry Prize and the Lauria/Frasca Poetry Prize (New American Press and Bordighera Press, 2021). She is an associate professor at Michigan State University and a poetry editor at Italian Americana. Visit her at janinecertopoet.com.