In order to view this poem as the author intended it to appear, we suggest reading it on a computer screen or in the landscape orientation on your phone.

Negative Space
Michael Riordan

I know the shapes you make.
I know your angles, cavities,

PItfalls of your body.
Your flesh is not smooth,

I discovered long ago.
Traps and fissures lay hidden,

Obscured in your beauty
That fools like a mirage,

Tempting, deceiving me:
I proceed, thirsting for you.

I can interpret the hand on your hip now,
The negative space of your attitudes:

Disgust or stubbornness,
Or come hither.

I cannot be fooled anymore.
I wish I could forget what I know,

Feel the fear again and fall into spaces,
Not knowing if I will land.

—
Michael Riordan has taught in the U.S., Australia, Singapore, and China, where he was a professor of writing and film studies. In Singapore, he co-founded Creative Action Now, an English language school.

His poetry, short stories, and nonfiction appear in Short Edition, Consequence, Months to Years, Spirituality & Health, Tether’s End, and elsewhere. In 2020, he won first prize for nonfiction in Ageless Authors.

He and his wife, Mary, live in Arlington, Texas.

Know anyone who might appreciate reading Michael’s poem?
Why not share the link to this page?

Have you read these poems:
A Mobile Crucifixion by Jack Brown
Second-hand Kimono by Mary Makofske

Table of Contents