the improper proposition | Will Newman

reading me
Levertov on 
the yellow sofa 

reading you 
this line over
lo mein

reminding me no, 
we did that 
in bed

reminding you of 
the resonant 
frequency 

of the
knitted 
garment 

on our taken 
holiday first

weekend away 
from our architects 

New Hampshire erupts 
in White 

Mountains I 
smooth out 

irregularities 
in the air 

mattress, 

applying pressure 
to its surface. 

Will Newman is a poet and educator who populates page-like space with words and other shapes. They recently received their MFA in poetry from CUNY—Brooklyn College where they also taught in the English department. Links to previously published writing—including other excerpts from their full-length manuscript learning from, taking care: the obliteration studies—can be found here: https://wmnewmanjr.wixsite.com/uumn. Will lives in Philadelphia and on the internet @w.m.n.inc.