ALYSON KISSNER
Questions for My Dead Body
After Eduardo C. Corral
Why did it take this long to turn the lights out
How few birds can you name
Has it occurred to you the ocean cannot sleep with you
Do you still sway when you sing
Isn’t it funny your birthmark seems evergreen and scythe-shaped
Have you never been tamed
Do you believe your patterns absolved you
How did you think you were saved
Is it loving to hover your hair above a bushfire
Did he touch you
Have you ever turned the lights out
Alyson Kissner is a Canadian-born poet completing her doctorate in Creative Writing at the University of Edinburgh. In 2022, Alyson was co-winner of the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award for Scottish-based poets under 30, as well as shortlisted for the Rebecca Swift Foundation’s Women Poets’ Prize. Her writing has appeared in various journals including ANMLY, Frontier Poetry, and The Rumpus, with work forthcoming in Anthropocene and Longleaf Review. She can be found on Twitter @alykissner.