MICHAEL CHANG
前戏 FOREPLAY
i am only beautiful for u
am i right to love u this way
ur the king of cutting corners
plath’s blue, furious boy
so shiny & strange
eyes bulging w/ concentration
my words bright birds
unslowed by chagrin
that thing abt believing ppl who show u who they are? stupid
problem is, most ppl are fucked up
honey-machine
know when u are beaten
thankfully, loneliness is rather harmless
i won’t stick any of u unless i can stick all of u!
原来你是这种人 SO THAT’S HOW U R
male w/ patchy facial hair complimenting my sunglasses in havana
my impulses when talking to u r: (1) stroke u ... (2) talk abt my poems
imagining u in crop top
target boys applauding rather than expressing uncontrollable disgust
snoopy balloons floating down fifth
i m thirsty for ur innocuous droplets
the dew on ur glabrous chest
highly desirable taste of anus
peach melba & potential insemination
most poems just verbs + body parts
i m v sensitive abt slit
你让我疯狂
u make me go mad!
when i receive u
ur wearing ur best smile
captive to u
like inflight movie in economy minus
i just can’t look away
Biographical Statement
MICHAEL CHANG (they/them) is the author of several collections of poetry, including ALMANAC OF USELESS TALENTS (CLASH Books, 2022) & SYNTHETIC JUNGLE (Northwestern University Press, 2023). Tapped to edit Lambda Literary's Emerge anthology, their poems have been nominated for Best New Poets, Best of the Net & the Pushcart Prize. They were awarded the Poetry Project's prestigious Brannan Prize & serve as a poetry editor at the acclaimed journal Fence.