How to change into ghosts
with flesh we can see through
and still look normal the next day.
How to swing the light from our bodies
to the wall and back. Shadows greedier
with their clothes removed.
An architectural design. A jigsaw
of blueprints no one remembers
in the day, but unclasp my
necklace before you leave, my bones
a puzzle put to good use. Don’t call.
Let the empty ringtones curve around
my torso. Film videos instead
and pretend I’ll get wet
from the white static.
I’ll let you fix me however
you like, an enigma of glass jars,
night a porcelain drape
drawn around the room. I’ll let you do
things you imagined
needed repairing: eyelids elastic and tight
in their wingless fluttering, molars
locked firm in the mouth—
acupunctured pricks of light.
Melanie Pierluigi lives in Vancouver and teaches high school English.
Questions and Answers
How/where do you find inspiration today?
Lately, I’ve been inspired by specific events or experiences I have with different people that leave an impact or impression in some way. I also keep an audience in my mind, or even one person that I’m writing to. It’s this unseen “audience” that propels the words. Often what I find hard to say clearly in person is easier to express figuratively in a poem. I’m also inspired by music and reading as much contemporary poetry as possible.
As a published writer, what are your tips or words of motivation for the aspiring poet?
Read a lot of poetry and keep a notebook where you can jot down phrases or lines. A lot of my poems begin with an idea, concept or an interesting line, but I never know the direction the poem will take until I begin writing.
What poetic techniques did you use in this poem?
I like to experiment with enjambment and use it frequently in this poem. This poem is based on an experience I had with an architect and I make use of certain terminology. Otherwise, I don’t over-think what I’m doing in terms of figurative language, but I often address my poems to a particular listener or reader.