from Hyperglossia [he ceased . . .]

By Stacy Szymaszek b. 1969 Stacy Szymaszek

he ceased

to exist as a boy

became an appellation

filed away embedded hairs of a chin

now hearsay of hyperglossia

my eyes are dyed blue

my breast

plate protects

a spool adversary’s nail was lodged

in my skull these roots won’t work

said the cook changed the

valance spooked form

of panther ran

Stacy Szymaszek, “[he ceased . . .]” from Hyperglossia. Copyright © 2009 by Stacy Szymaszek. Reprinted by permission of Litmus Press.

Source: Hyperglossia (Litmus Press, 2009)

Biography

Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Stacy Szymaszek is the author of the chapbooks Orizaba: A Voyage with Hart Crane (2008), Stacy S.: Autoportraits (2008), from Hart Island (2009), and others. She also authored the book-length collections Emptied of All Ships (2005) and Hyperglossia (2009).

Szymaszek’s work encompasses a variety of voices and personas, eros, and queer identity. Hyperglossia references ancient Egyptian healing and . . .

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