I Do Not Want to Die
I do not want to die where I was born
today it is taking all of my strength
to keep my weeping, swollen
eyelids open now and again pressing them
with cold spoons and my own cold
fingers I only wish telephones still were slow
and had beautiful rings
and curling cords. Where I was born
is the sour seat of the shameful empire
and too hot in the summer
My eyes are not so sweet as the little
cherries in the jar nor as pink
nor as velvety
and I do not want to die in the seat
of the empire although my mother lives
there I want to die among queers angry and blissful
among my true family rioting rioting
in a rose garden
in the arms of the beloved
BASIL (GILLIAN) LEE
they, them, theirs
College of Arts & Sciences
Class of 2017, English, Area Program in Poetry Writing
Basil (Gillian) Lee writes about language and life as a queer person in the scary, lovely world. They are also a printmaker, musician, and book artist. They read a lot of Ted Berrigan, Mina Loy, Aram Saroyan, Sappho, and Nikki Giovanni, and are currently focused on the relationship between underground contemporary poetry and the library.
