historical eye

I hold
open the

horse’s eye
its lids

lip slick
dirt amulet

finger pry
forceps

opening
wider its

fissure I
rip tunics

history’s blue
buckskin

I object in
monocular

vision hold
pierce light

tear canthus
the horse’s

eye glows
impassive

I form
as opener

held in its
beast gloss

I fasten his
fascination

it pins
me holding

for as
long

as I can
think

—

from You’re Called by the Same Sound–published by Thirdhand Books

Buy the book here

—

Alicia Wright is the author of You’re Called By The Same Sound (Thirdhand Books, 2025) and A Coin, A Moth, A Literary Journal (DoubleCross Press, forthcoming 2026). She lives, teaches, and edits in Iowa City, Iowa, where she also hosts the poetry reading series Normie Creep in the Sacred Grove.