Connor Beeman
Connor Beeman (they/he) is a Midwest poet and an MFA candidate at the Ohio State University who writes about place, queerness, violence, and inevitably, birds. They are the winner of the 2022 Ritzenhein Emerging Poet Award and the author of the chapbook concrete, rust, marrow (Finishing Line Press, 2023). Previous work has appeared in Anti-Heroin Chic, The Fourth River, and elsewhere.
american sonnet for the lake and my body
I have not asked for much. today,
I threw myself into the lake again
and again. sank until the green of it
grew dark and jaded. thought about
recreating my home in the muck of
a silt-clogged reservoir. held my breath
like a challenge. recently, I have not felt
desired or even uniquely beautiful.
my best is lake water choked down.
God, I am asking to be wanted
in a way that rips into me quickly,
that makes quick work of my failing
flesh. I cannot stand my body above water.
you cannot ask me to withstand this slowly.
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