KNOT Magazine
Fall Issue 2022
Leila A. Fortier
~Ellipsis~
—For Natasha
If
Only
You could
Free the sparrows
Nested between her thighs;
The way her legs cross, suppressing
Song … the way her breasts upturn like the
Faces of orchids beneath the alabaster moon
You are flanked by this strange titillation … the
Subtle pirouette of her sighs … the exhales of
Unspoken conversation … her Venetian
Eyes … the slight part of her
Lips … the way
She says
The
w
o
r
d
… Melancholy …
~Guise~
You
Came as a
Gentle affliction,
Quiet collector of
Grace~ A wounded
Ruse in the guise of
Sacred~ Thief of
Gods keeping
Covet the
Holy
On
Your
Carefully
Constructed
Altar of self-sacrifice~
The fallacy of your eternal
Thread…crimson ribbon of a
Bleeding lie~ Unbound after
Being crucified~ Leaving
Only a thirst for your
Illusion
Leila A. Fortier
Leila A. Fortier is a poet, artist, and photographer currently residing in Okinawa, Japan. She is a member of the Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society; pursuing her BFA in creative writing through Southern New Hampshire University. Her sculpted poetry is often accompanied by her own multi-medium forms of art, photography, and spoken performance. The symbolic representation of inner dialog and fluid continuum of her thought processes is demonstrated by her signature use of italics and the tilde. Selections of her work have been translated into French, Italian, Spanish, Arabic, and German in a growing effort to foster cultural diversity and understanding through the voice of poetry. With over one hundred publishing credits, her work in all its mediums has been featured in a vast array of publications both in print and online. Her forthcoming second book of poetry, Numinous is scheduled to be published by Saint Julian Press in the autumn of 2014. A complete listing of her published works can be found at: www.leilafortier.com