by Emalene Loren
Aperture
In his photograph a crow lies dead,
charred paper wings spread wide,
beak split and eye a dark hole.
Suffering and the end of suffering.
Photographing the woman, he targets
her cracked lips and hollow eyes.
He makes of her a relic of their time
of suffering and the end of suffering.
Charisse Gendron is a poet living in Portland, Maine. Her work has appeared in The Ravens Perch, Clepsydra, Blood & Bourbon, and other publications. Her favorite poets include Louise Gluck, Anne Carson, A. E. Stallings, Franz Wright, and Frederick Seidel. She holds a doctorate in English literature from the University of Connecticut.
Emalene Loren has an affinity for long lost spaces, places, and lovers. Staying true to her Iranian heritage, she has turned to the arts — both visual and literary — as a means to express her conceptual pursuit of love and romance. Emalene is currently based in North America, as she flushes out her primary project “Madeline,” a character of burlesque performance and exotic dance, which uses her focus in intimate connection and aesthetics to build her future. You can follow her journey on Instagram @iloveyoucomecloser.