1. Where to break is to begin
⠀⠀⠀⠀a. ⠀⠀a tectonic plate promises a shift
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ i. ⠀⠀Greek: tektōn “carpenter, builder”
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ii. ⠀⠀as a point where things start to change
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2. Where to break is to loosen
⠀⠀⠀⠀ a.⠀⠀ slip free of old restraints, constraints
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ i. ⠀⠀Italian: stringere “to draw tight”
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ii. ⠀⠀as a sail that is lowered because the wind is no longer needed
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3. Where to break is to infiltrate, interrupt
⠀⠀⠀⠀ a. ⠀⠀a system breached
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ i. ⠀⠀Old English: brecan “to divide solid matter violently into fragments”
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ii. ⠀⠀as a whale to its sky
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4. Where to break is to reform
⠀⠀⠀⠀ a. ⠀⠀alter a trajectory
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ i. ⠀⠀Latin: traicere = trans “across, beyond” + icere “to throw”
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ii. ⠀⠀as an inlet pushes into a map
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5. Where to break is to celebrate
a. a gash filled with gold
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ i. ⠀⠀Japanese: kintsugi = kin “gold” + tsugi “join”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ii. ⠀⠀as a closure reveals an opening
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6. Where bones are beliefs
⠀⠀⠀⠀ a. ⠀⠀notions held to be fact, foundational bases
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ i. ⠀⠀Latin: factum “an event, occurrence” good or evil
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ii. ⠀⠀as a frame that holds the work
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7. Where bones are a calcified material
⠀⠀⠀⠀ a. ⠀⠀stuck to a surrounding
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ i. ⠀⠀English: stuck on “unable to go any further”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ii. ⠀⠀as a fossil records what was
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8. Where bones are a thing to be removed
⠀⠀⠀⠀ a. ⠀⠀in order to reach the meat
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ i. ⠀⠀Middle English: mēte “nourishment, sustenance”
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ii. ⠀⠀as a bear eats the whole thing
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9. Where bones are to be picked
⠀⠀⠀⠀ a. ⠀⠀conflict is honesty
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ i. ⠀⠀Latin: conflictus “a contest”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ii. ⠀⠀as truth is a school of fish
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10. Where bones are a ship
⠀⠀⠀⠀ a. ⠀⠀The only way to swim is to wreck
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ i. ⠀⠀Old Norse: reka “to drive”
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ii. ⠀⠀as we all die
⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀⠀ together
Jessie is a florist by day, poet by night, and round-the-clock mom living on unceded Ohlone land in California. She holds an MA in Art History. Her work has been published or is forthcoming in F(r)iction, CALYX, Allium, Chestnut Review, Mother Mag, California Quarterly, Kestrel, The Berkeley Poetry Review, and others.