Academic Tongue – Caroline Morris

I do not savor sweet nothings;
Speak to me in terms of intellect.
Tie a poem to a chair and torture it
Then tell me about the twining of sex and violence.
When I bring up classical allusion tell me that it’s
Impossible to imitate the meter of the ancient Greeks—
Dactylic hexameter—
In English.
Insist that you’re sick of the esoteric—
Say that word again—
Esoteric.
Discuss with me the deeply erotic wrestling of Birkin and Crich
And wrestle with me over a Bronte marriage plot.
Teach me, teach me, teach me,
In an academic tongue.

Caroline Morris is an aspiring writer based in the Philadelphia suburbs and currently works as an editor. She received her B.A. in English literature with a concentration in writing at the Catholic University of America. Morris has previously been published by Vermilion, Silent Spark Press, Beaver Magazine, and the Penwood Review, with two honorable mentions for the O’Hagan Poetry Prize. Twitter: @Lean_writer

Photography by Anne Leigh Parrish