Synkroniciti is thrilled to welcome back poet Jeffrey Bryant from Los Angeles with “WHAT THE DEAD BELIEVE,” a delightfully unconventional love poem from beyond the grave. “On the little nearby bench you sit, talking,/ lighting up because I won’t judge you/ and you’ll know I’m listening// when something that bites lands/ on the space my fingers used to circle/ on your neck, fingers now all bony/ and totally cool ghoul.” Jeffrey’s colorful imagery and earnestness make this poem engaging, a warmth of personality seductively reaching out for the beloved with playful and peaceful presence. Humans often speak of eternal love and attraction, but seldom in such a tangible way. By linking the abstract with sensory images, Jeffrey creates a dialogue that is both mysterious and reassuring. Repetition, alliteration and assonance create a musical lilt that enhances the sassiness and the normalcy of the scene. Two lovers remain, talking and loving, but only one is corporeal.
Read “WHAT THE DEAD BELIEVE” in Synkroniciti’s “Haunting” issue, available for purchase here: https://synkroniciti.com/the-magazine/purchase-individual-issues/.
Jeffrey Bryant is a Pushcart-nominated queer poet from Los Angeles. His work has appeared in the LA Weekly, LA Times, Poetic Diversity, New Verse News, Poetrysuperhighway.com, Synkroniciti, Quill and Echo, Tension Literary, Journal of the Plague Years, Coiled Serpent, Altadena Literary Review, Shadowplay, and Sparring with Beatnik Ghosts. You can find him on Instagram @jeffreybryant88.