Clawing for the Exit
Leah Komar won first runner-up in the 2017 Magpie Award for Poetry for ‘Krang’, which final judge Renée Sarojini Saklikar described as “raw, authentic, searing. Unity of voice, in that the speaker of the poem consistently addresses another, ‘you’, puts the reader in this uncomfortable and compulsively readable situation. We squirm when we go along with the story. Strong visceral language. Packs a punch and then some.”
We are delighted to share with you the powerful opening stanzas, excerpted here from Issue 16, Autumn 2017, on sale now, until the end of March.
Krang
to my mother
You told me I was angry until I believed you.
Words packed in my mouth
like a crowded movie theatre
cut by the scream of a fire alarm
and the sharp accusation of countless lights.
You throw accusations, sharp, after you’ve run out of plates and
it doesn’t matter if I’m seven or lying because
everyone is scrambling and clawing for the exit but
like a nightmare, the door
only opens inward and it’s pressed shut
by all of these scared hands
alive and looking for a doorknob.
The bone-cracking truth is I’ve
always been (looking for and) scared of the way you
take away your hands.
I’ve laid every stone of my life
around the circle where you
dropped me into existence.
When I find myself running in circles
around my mind,
straight razor in one hand, the past in the other,
I imagine your pelvis cracked like an egg
as I clawed my way out of you.
To read the rest of this powerful poem, pick up your copy of Issue 16, ON SALE now, until the end of March.
Leah Komar grew up in Syracuse and Central Pennsylvania, she attended college in New Orleans and Kyoto, and she has since then lived in Toyama and Austin. She now lives in Tokyo.
For you chance to appear in Pulp Literature — and to win $500! — enter the 2023 Magpies, open now until April 15th.
Magpie Award for Poetry:
First Prize: $500 and publication in Issue 40, Autumn 2023
Runners up (2): $50 each and publication in Issue 40, Autumn 2023
Entry fee: $25 1st poem, $10 each subsequent poem
All entry fees include a 1-year digital subscription to Pulp Literature.
Contest Closes: April 15th
For all the details and to enter, visit the contest page!
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