Embouchure
is the techne
through which
he tamed me
he lit a cigarette
looked away
my eyes listened
to the dream
I stood inside
the mouth
of a doorway
felt the ribbed
frisk, perfect fit
of his lipping
to an instrument
he played well
when the hem
of my dress became
a smoke ring
rising from his
lips, this girl
he disrobed
with one breath
so long
no slip
Alina Stefanescu was born in Romania and lives in Alabama. Her poems and prose are recent or forthcoming in DIAGRAM, New South, Mantis, VOLT, Cloudbank, Prairie Schooner, NELLE, and others. She serves as Poetry Editor of Pidgeonholes and President of the Alabama State Poetry Society. Her first poetry chapbook, ‘Objects in Vases’ (Anchor & Plume Press, 2016) won the ASPS Poetry Book of the Year Award. Her first poetry collection, ‘Stories to Read Aloud to Your Fetus’ (Finishing Line Press, 2017) included Pushcart-nominated poems. Her debut fiction collection, ‘Every Mask I Tried On’, won the Brighthorse Books Prize and was published in May 2018. More online at www.alinastefanescuwriter.com or @aliner
