Charles - Feeld

The National Poetry Series was established in 1978 to ensure the publication of five collections of poetry annually through five participating publishers. The Series is funded annually by Amazon Literary Partnership, Betsy Community Fund, the Gettinger Family Foundation, Bruce Gibney, HarperCollins Publishers, Stephen King, Lannan Foundation, Newmans Own Foundation, News Corp, Anna and Olafur Olafsson, the O. R. Foundation, the PG Family Foundation, the Poetry Foundation, Laura and Robert Sillerman, Amy R. Tan and Louis De Mattei, Elise and Steven Trulaske, and the National Poetry Series Board of Directors. 2017 COMPETITION WINNERS What It Doesnt Have to Do With by Lindsay Bernal of Rochester, NY Chosen by Paul Guest for University of Georgia Press feeld by Jos Charles of Long Beach, CA Chosen by Fady Joudah for Milkweed Editions Anarcha Speaks by Dominique Christina of Aurora, CO Chosen by Tyehimba Jess for Beacon Press Museum of the Americas by J.

Michael Martinez of Denver, CO Chosen by Cornelius Eady for Penguin Books The Lumberjacks Dove by GennaRose Nethercott of Guilford, VT Chosen by Louise Glck for Ecco

2018, Text by Jos Charles All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher: Milkweed Editions, 1011 Washington Avenue South, Suite 300, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55415. (800) 520-6455 milkweed.org Published 2018 by Milkweed Editions Cover design by Mary Austin Speaker Cover artwork: Birds Nest II, Op 200 Jakob Demus 2018. Diamond drypoint etching. Author photo by Cybele Knowles 18 19 20 21 22 5 4 3 2 1 First Edition Milkweed Editions, an independent nonprofit publisher, gratefully acknowledges sustaining support from the Jerome Foundation; the Lindquist & Vennum Foundation; the McKnight Foundation; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Target Foundation; and other generous contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Also, this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund, and a grant from Wells Fargo.

For a full listing of Milkweed Editions supporters, please visit milkweed.org. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Charles, Jos, 1988- author. Title: feeld / Jos Charles. Description: First edition. | Minneapolis, Minnesota : Milkweed Editions, 2018. : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Gender identity--Poetry. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Gender identity--Poetry.

Classification: LCC PS3603.H37647 (print) | LCC PS3603.H37647 F44 2018 (ebook) | DDC 811/.6--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018006414 Milkweed Editions is committed to ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book production practices with this principle, and to reduce the impact of our operations in the environment. We are a member of the Green Press Initiative, a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the worlds endangered forests and conserve natural resources. feeld was printed on acid-free 30% postconsumer-waste paper by Thomson-Shore.

Table of Contents I. next inn line at the feemale depositrie room / mye jossled eggs inn a witen sack / were that i were goldenne mye rayte / the tayste off gold inn eggs / cravyng a room just emtied enuff 2 curl myeself inn / thees the dreggs / the grl beguines III. there is noting funye bout this / u alowne / on a tip that is the tip of whorld teemd inn / no biger than a goodsizd fiste / ur growndling hart / fissiond in round lisen / 1 daye u wil be all ere / a ewe alowne / inn a feeld off mare / i am oldre / & the sayme / than the naymes u gave / this is the corse / a tran / a feeld / a corpse IV. gathred the hole inn the guarden / conted the rites inn a streem / it takes so manie feelds 2 make a hole / see the sirfase befor the rupture / i kno thees gastric exursizes r boreing / but pleese / i see the boyes inn the playe pin juggling mye holes / i see mye trama lit lik candie in ther cotten mothes / they wisper weres ur bird soot / u sed ud were a bird soot / & i tuch the urinals / i washe eech aynchent clawe / agane / & agane / & agane / & agane / i get reel spesifick / abot the hemorages i tend inn mye yard / eech hole is a vote / they tel me / tend ur hole / they saye / remember contry cums firste / ur feelds r privyt / this is godes contry V. a tran is a thynge u leeve / wen u scape a streem / the grls puting ther saltie secks inn the aire / a tran puts so much inn 2 the aire / even the see laps its fete / wen u cant / a tran provyded want / lik she just dont care bout her colden bed / the crouchd papre crowne wated bout her hed / she is the 1 who knos evrythynge wants wher it tends / a thynge u wuldnt tend / her rare & vista dayes VI. the copse in mye guarden / inspeckting hews / & i am depositing myeself lik a fum / am trap inn ther blak & blu / invagynation meens everie hole is an extremitie / u rite long enuff inn 2 its sirfase / it rites inn 2 u / hah / thees treees / cannot be insied me / not with all thees copse arond / pleese / i am afrayde i am riting myeself metonymic off deth / agane i am so afrayde / off wut is it ur holding inn ur souwre hande / this sirfase has a colore VII. a tran lik all metall is a series of sirfase in folde / wee call manie of thees foldes identitie / sum spase shufles betweene / trama or hemorage or othere / this is 1 membraine / 1 folde in yet a nother membraine / a folde of 1 membraine maye be conected 2 or similre 2 a folde inn a nother & yet stil smaler membraine / wen a folde squyshes or colapses a membraine or inhabits a nother folde upon folde upon folde / this is struktur or gendre or tellavision or a united stats / u maye be manie foldes but not / lik the waye an asse bothe is & isnt conected to this chare / fase / layk VIII. the hemorage is swolen & caried acros the kultur waye / because the hemorage is driping & because it seduces / as a mater of forme / its handes r manie / bieng a tran is a queery of crisees & r brused handes r manie / this is a questyon off metalls / tonite the hemorage pases / the hemorage culd be a clowd or viscuous but tonite / it is sangwyne / it puts on its skirte & brah / the hemorage is a seryes of membraine in folde / the hemorage culd be 2 / lik u / a likwid but its not / & tonite it is swolen & droped / caried & droped / a hemorage is a gathring of crisees / droped inn 2 the nite IX. off the guarden / ther is much stil 2 prynt / they poynt 2 mye spor / they speech i wuldbe hapy / if onliethis were a spor / it is horribel off corse to be tangibel / inside kapitel seemd lik a prawn / ur prawny arms / parsel mye care / wut ffekts lik an ere 2 the flor / wut meen the treee / wut off disfigurd mint X. interpolation is a skirte i ware / & inn a hiv / u r born boye / grl / or worker be / all this bad det / betweene me / all thees bad secks given me / it culd be erlie / inn the markett / sirfacinglie & swete / it is 2 layte 4 ur swolen leef / boyish nectre wates the vyne / inn 2 this nettel & greene / olde winde caschyng subjectivitie XI. we knu a historie off feeld / r reckage off treees existing tot & securelie / the wharing masckulin economyes / the wite pryeing off eech berch treee / a tran dubbles inn 2 the hearthe off actualie / a kinde off big beef feeld off thynglienesse unfoldeing / reckinglie / i was ur perfeckt lil imperealist / wite steet inn amonge the crop off nowe / gendre / a holie pirsentile / dessicating uprite & terrortorialie / but owened / i was hote shitt / amonge the downd crop off mare / mye estrogyn / the urin concentrat off pregnynt mares / gendre writ then wrot in the swalow / thomas sayes