‘Epigenesis: A Lineage in Two Voices’
— Hannah Cohen
sometimes i don’t realize the hand-me-down
of my fists until i beat a wall
If any poem could come alive and stitch its thread into your skin, ‘Epigenesis: A Lineage in Two Voices’ would be that very poem. Winners of Sundog Lit’s summer collaboration contest, torrin and Linette are as equal and unlike each other, and their voices inhabit every line and enjambment; they share and dissect themes of the body, violence, and time without ever losing themselves. The one section that continues to haunt me echoes pain and memory:
my body remembers a trauma it did not muscle through
my muscles remember a trauma my body should not know
In an era where bodies, certain bodies, are under attack, it’s important to read visceral work by those who know the constrictions and fears of inhabiting this flesh. I look forward to more poems that reach into my insides, and I hope it’s by these two poets.