April 2020
That the yellow frame is a poor indicator of interest
How nobody knows what goes on in the Waiting Room
That waving and meaningful peering are equally futile
How muteness may be selected or imposed
That the layout of every participant’s panes will differ in Gallery View
How nobody ever knows who owns the blackbird
That people in rural Tyrone are frequently frozen
How to gaze past the edge of the screen is to enter confession
That you, without question, are leading the crawl to accomplish a multiple chin
How there’s chicken skin on my neck I might never have noticed
That I cannot, now, unknow this
How, in our times, we’ve never felt this seen
That the eye is less deniable than the ear
How the griefs we’re avoiding are loitering north of the screen
Paula Cunningham’s Heimlich’s Manoeuvre, from smith doorstop, was shortlisted for the Fenton-Aldeburgh, Seamus Heaney Centre, & Strong Shine 1st Collection Prizes
