Josephus Problem

like glass
ameliorates breath
juno showed up
a cinereous light
figuring
in lorna jane lycra
livestreaming
(complicated side hustle)
an algorithm to complete
or otiose embellishment

a reverie unabated
(by Neil’s DM)
“just looked too good to leave there,
same as the other stuff I brought home”

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This poem was highly commended for Poetry Object 2019

'This poem bought me joy; it’s the sort of poem you can turn upside down and shake around. The language is fresh and electric. I loved ‘otiose embellishment’ and ‘side hustle’ with ‘lorna jane lycra / livestreaming’. The words are chewy but the very careful and perfectly timed line breaks give us room to digest each complicated image. There’s a cheek to this work which I appreciated, a beautifully crafted irreverence delivered with intelligence.'
~ Emilie Zoey Baker, Judge, Poetry Object 2019