Danielle Garland

The Body: The Instrument 

Let her make you
a thud in the dark.
Fold yourself
at the hips.
Crescendo into
a new shape—an arch,
a bridge, a cane.
Lift effortlessly into her
touch—her fingers
at your bra strap,
on the small
of your back,
release into
each kelly green and sculpted
fingernail tiptoeing
one vertebra to the
next. Try. Lift up.
Be only
a body. Hear
only her body.
Attempt to press
music into her
touch.

Danielle Garland (she/her) is a writer, science communicator, and feeding therapist from southern Appalachia who spends time thinking about grief, the intimacy of movement, and the fragility of narrative. Her work has been previously published or is upcoming in Ninth Letter, Empty House Press, Susurrus Magazine, and others. Find her on Instagram @_daniellegarland