organic engine

:        organic engine aglow in 
mortar knows neighbor moans 
    by pitch & flushes & steps by
the frequency of floorboard cracks
:      tone & exposure acculturate
a scion discolored fractured 
             smooth at the graft
:             flyers slid through 
cracks cry cars got jacked
: a laugh track cues our own 
as we squeeze passed ass 
to ass through halls built 
when people were smaller
: scopaesthesia thaws with
      		   recognition 
: accompany the percussion 
                of 1B’s recipes 
: that last washer envies 
the tide as we do the nudist
: keyholes grown cell tender
: bioluminesce if disturbed  
: synapse-reactive bone-sturdy 
:         doors open & shut enough 
to chase strays living in our vestibule

Author of the article

Alex Wells Shapiro (he/him) is a poet, artist, and organizer from the Hudson Valley, living in Chicago. He serves as Poetry Editor for Another Chicago Magazine, and co-curates Exhibit B: A Literary Variety Show. He is the author of a poetry collection, Insect Architecture (Unbound Edition, 2022), and a chapbook, Gridiron Fables (Bottlecap Features, 2022). More of his work may be found at www.alexwellsshapiro.com.