poetry by h. lee coakley

the Capitol gives testimony

don’t reign me in / don’t rain on my—plunder—pillage—pulse /     that sharp shock - don’t stand there / just slide, baby, slide / 

run the line out, roll the dog over / woof, these ones are barking too /    coldcock cuts the cult lock / drowns the seize block - it’s an easy win /

you’ve gotta push it, push it / good / god, what a mess / can you believe /    he brought that, they squared up /don’t pull our thread too / 

loose - me and pretty soon / we’re all rolling away / shatterdance /    company, scatter / there’s a flag on the way, there’s a beast at the gate/    and it’s barking.

H. Lee Coakley (they/she) is a queer poet & nutritional healer currently based in Brooklyn, NY. They hold a BA from New York University & an MSPH from Johns Hopkins University. Their work has been featured in The Lavender Review, Utterance Journal, The Voices Project, Blueshift Anthology and The Mad Farmer Reading Series.