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Height
Each year I lose a little more of it,
the spaces between the vertebrae
slowly sighing closed
like an accordion that after
a full day of playing dances
lets out a long atonal breath—
the exhalation
of every song it ever made
as the musician prepares
to lay the instrument
gently in its box.
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Julien Strong (they/them) is the author of two books of poems, The Mouth of Earth (University of Nevada Press) and Tour of the Breath Gallery (Texas Tech University Press). Julien’s poetry has appeared in many journals, including The Nation, The Southern Review, Poetry Daily, River Styx, Southwest Review, and The Sun. They are also the author of two novels. An Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Central Connecticut State University, they live in Hamden, CT. [Author photo by Cecilia Cangiano; “Height” appeared first in The Southern Review, Spring 2023.]
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Accordionists, from the Washington Post Magazine.
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Author: Terence Winch
