derek thomas dew
Intramural
Guest Body
Sometimes we go to the mirror
and we find it full
of that which is not us
& true
(harmony)
Host Body
Turn from one mirror
only to see yourself
in the next
citrine pelt
Derek Dew is a neurodivergent, non-binary poet currently living in New York City. Their debut poetry collection “Riddle Field” received the 2019 Test Site Poetry Prize from the Black Mountain Institute/University of Nevada. Their poems have appeared in a number of anthologies, and have been published in a variety of journals, including Interim, ONE ART, The Maynard, Ultramarine Review, Two Hawks Quarterly, Ocean State Review, and Cathexis Northwest Press.
Trapped
Sometimes after smelling
His sister’s perfume
Hearing the sharp jet
Of his sister’s hairspray
Seeing the red stamp
Of his sister’s lipstick
On tissue paper in the toilet
& lifting one of his sister’s
High heels to test its weight
A boy feels prepared only
For everywhere lesser
That there is to go