MADONNA OF THE CHAIR

Kai Ihns

I was afraid to die because i wanted to see you againsuck out the middle and repeat itto startCruspy, and the ghost wins Reproduction or praise, pretty less, lonely Over and beyond that it was just of nothing at allchrysanthemum branches that beat in the soup as they steamyou can move inside the busyou’re the garden of cups:-Victory Evolves out of the Strategy Like a Moth-By Things I Thought I Knew-Steam, “light rising slowly as steam off their joined skin”-Banners, then ordinary objectsTo be touched when the banners, in perfect orderAreOn the temporizing ground orGround of intersecting highwaysIn that habit, you come first,roll and wets, to be first the surface receiving the shadow           none of the images gnostic           or silent           only full of judgementpeople can recognize numbers and flags           but not you!

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Headshot of Kai Ihns

Kai Ihns lives and works in Chicago. She is the author of two books of poems, sundaey (Propeller Books, 2020), and Of (The Elephants, 2024), as well as a number of chapbooks, most recently THE BIRDS (3 Count Pour, forthcoming 2025). Other projects include The Year, a chapbook press.

Cover of Of by Kai Ihns

Victoria, British Columbia
Canada

Of is Kai Ihns' second book of poems.

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