3 Poems by Tahlia McKinnon

stalker

 

a look,

like skin on nails

eyes too wide,

stare so grim

 

i could play a tune

upon the broken bones

of your brow

 

dare to speak,

let the words roll around

in your mouth

like loose baby teeth

 

saying:

spit me out, girl

suck me up.

 

holy

 

the way you hold yourself            is holy

mane of incandescent flame,

and though we have not met,

i feel as if             you know me.

lift the veil to your lips

and i will drink in              what you show me.

tether down my wild thoughts

and i will beg for you      to own me.

 

the way we bury ourselves          so boldly.

dirt between our teeth

and yet, the air we breathe         is homely.           is lonely.

one more drink of you,

and i’ll be sick    with melancholy.

one more turn of earth

and i will beg you             to rehome me.

 

the way you hold my soul             is holy.

mane of incandescent flame,

and though you love me not,

i feel as if             you know me.

lift my lips to yours

and i will drink                   until i OD.

cleanse me of my wild ways

and i will lay down           at your feet.

 

 

you are buried

 

you are buried

between the half truths

of my youth. the sooth

we swore to keep as

bitten nails and

bloodied palms

were pressed in truce.

 

you are buried

in the bubblegum bliss

of a first kiss. minty fresh

and apple crisp

with missed vowels

blossoming

on wet lips.

 

you are buried

in the gap between

my thighs. dirty kneecaps,

half-torn tights

damp, like the

turned over earth.

 

you are buried

in my midnight

dreams. my playtime

fantasies, where only

empty teacups

of burning thyme leaves

return you, whole

to me.

 

 

 

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Tahlia McKinnon is a wild writer and myth-maker from London, England. She graduated from Goldsmiths University in 2017 with a First-Class Honours in BA Media and English Literature. A former film journalist, she has been featured in the likes of Little White Lies and Sinescreen. Tahlia is the Founding Editor of Hecate Magazine, an online literary journal celebrating the vision and voices of womxn and witches, worldwide. Her work is often inspired by the colour and chaos of nature, the ferocity of faith and the tortured dynamic of the ‘twin flame’. Follow Tahlia on Twitter & IG @tahliamckinnon