Nancy Lynée Woo

S.O.S. with Warble and Cell Tower

I’m remixed and slumped
over a log in a swimsuit,
                        network of wires
            grieving the ants and the grass.

Casting lines from the tower
of Bitcoin, I do the robot dance,
            inner landscape full
of white space and cows.

Finally, I’m tidying and pouting
            about tidying. I give
                        the cold shoulder
            a cuddle, A/C on arctic
blast, jamming to space
            tunes, celebrating a new
                        sweater. I notice

            something, bobbling in the horde—
a hand of silk
selling us the pixelated remains
of elephants in a museum

with ivory doors. If collapsing
the wall around the moat
resets the radio signal, let’s

un-collar all criminals
who have committed no crime
and keep grasslands wild
for giants to roam. Listen

to coughing from above,
rough sound. Find its origin
            in a tree across the street,
un-shampooed, hunched
and in command of her call:

a squirrel. I grab a didgeridoo
from the dictionary
and holler, tossing and turning
                        discount crackers into the cart.

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Nancy Lynée Woo is a poet, writer and community organizer. As the founder of Surprise the Line, a community poetry workshop, she believes in the power of the arts to bring people together. She has received fellowships from Arts Council for Long Beach, PEN America and Idyllwild Writers Week, and is an MFA candidate at Antioch University. Her third chapbook, Good Darkness, was named a Semi-Finalist in the Sunken Garden chapbook contest with Tupelo Press. Her work is largely inspired by the magic and power of the natural world. Find her online at nancylyneewoo.com.