Synkroniciti is excited to welcome poet Eugene Stevenson, based in North Carolina. “Bijoux, Abandoned” tells the story of a relationship ended from the point of view of the family cat, who was really her cat, but ended up staying with him. “Gone three years, she left her scent on/ my head, left the damp from her eyes on/ my neck.” Animals are part of our families, and separations are at least as hard on them as they are on us. Bijoux doesn’t approve of his girlfriends–“With opportunity,/ my claws tear their pantyhose, crumpled on/ the bedroom floor. This place is not theirs.”– and leaves evidence around the house to show his displeasure. It’s a very vulnerable position to look at human foibles from the eyes of a pet and Eugene doesn’t turn away from Bijoux’s unflattering gaze. There is a profound empathy underlying the piece, and willingness to look at the harm caused to someone once beloved and now forever gone. The reader is moved, not in a saccharine, egotistical way, but by the smell of regret that permeates the piece.
Read “Bijoux, Abandoned” in Synkroniciti’s “Family” issue, available here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Eugene Stevenson is the son of immigrants & the father of expatriates. He started out on the road at age 16, sailing to Europe & living in Istanbul, Turkey, & now lives in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. In between, he traversed the lower 48 states, 35 countries, & circumnavigated the globe three times. Stevenson started writing poetry at age 18, was published early, continued writing, but stopped seeking publication for 35 years. His work has been published widely since 2019. He is the author of Heart’s Code (Kelsay Books, forthcoming 2024) & The Population of Dreams (Finishing Line Press, 2022).