Student spotlight: a poem by Katie Orwoll

New work from a new student magazine

Throughout August, BU Today will publish pieces of student scholarship and creative work. The following untitled poem is by Katie Orwoll (CAS ’08) and first appeared in Burn,  a new undergraduate literary magazine for new voices. Orwoll is one of the founders of Burn, which can be found across campus. She invites students who are writing work that has an edge to send their poetry or prose to burnmagazine@gmail.com.


Katie Orwoll  Photo by Brittney Watkins (CAS ’08)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Untitled
by Katie Orwoll

Our image is of your likeness
our bodies of the earth
of one another, of his rib.
We are innocent until our first breath
from there we are constantly dirty
fighting to cleanse ourselves of her sin.

I’m alone in my bed, cold again.
The air is warm, the blankets thick
but the ice is in my breast, my eyes.
There is fire in my mouth,
flames lick my lips and my breath burns
the hate of millions of years on my words.

I read each page as though it were truth
my mind like a sponge
soaking in every like the Book contains.
They say you wrote this for me
for Him I am going to live it all
but not believe a word.

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Student spotlight: a poem by Katie Orwoll