Body in the Sun by Shannon Lise

Body in the Sun
by Shannon Lise

“You are the music while the music lasts.”
         ~ T.S. Eliot

are you liking the way that we still 
have days are you finding the stars 
in your throat to sing are you dusting 
the tiresome corners of things are you 
chasing the whispers away? you have 
sailed empty-handed through thousands 
of dreams you have cherished and wasted
and mourned everything you have hired 
an owl to teach you to sing you have 
swallowed your sins on a whim

are you doing the work that will pay 
for the fire are you riding the whales 
when the whales ride by are you filling 
the closets with rosemary ash are you 
going to weddings without being asked 
are you given to greeting the light while 
it lasts are you ready at last to begin?

Shannon Lise is a poet and writer who finds herself constantly fascinated by the power of art to heal and transform. Originally from Texas, Shannon spent twelve years in Turkey and is currently located in Québec City, where she is pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology. Her debut poetry collection, Such Excess of Light, was released in 2021 with Kelsay Books. Recent work has appeared in or is forthcoming from CERASUS, Agapanthus Collective, The Anti-Languorous Project, Plainsongs, Wild Roof Journal, In Parentheses, and Assisi. You can connect with her at shannonlise.com, on Instagram (@shannonlise), Twitter (@ShannonLise2) and Facebook (shannonlise.poet). When she’s not writing or studying, Shannon spends as much time as possible kayaking, camping, and road-tripping through the stunning Canadian wilderness with her husband Francis, her daughter Nessa Evenstar, and their Alaskan malamute, Lucky.