Dodo Eraser

I am becoming more expert
In looking at another’s face
Right up until the very last instant
Before they look back at me—
Their sides, profiles, turning hinges
Of the spine’s bones pivoting,
And I shamelessly steal away
Before they catch me.

It’s a harassment only I know
I have done, until a boyfriend or
Companion of the looked-at
Apprehends me in the future.

“I did it,” I plead, “to see
If I recognized you, if you were
Enemy or brother,
Or dream goddess
Who would free my imagination
For a few apocalyptic seconds.
Eyes are starving burglars
Seeking sympathy from heaven’s mansions,
Which—look, here—are right next door.”

---

Jesse Hilson is a writer living in the Catskills in New York State. Recent publication credits include Burial Mag, Michigan City Review of Books, Blood+Honey Lit, and Don’t Submit! He has published two novels, a short story collection, and a poetry collection. He can be found on Instagram at @platelet60 and he runs a Substack newsletter called Chlorophyll & Hemoglobin, which is named for two chemical compounds necessary to sustain human life.