“EVERYTHING I DO AND SAY IS AN ARTISTIC STATEMENT (after Taylor Napolsky)” by Alexandra Naughton

people call me a piece of work

and i take it as a compliment

i’m here for the long haul

greasing screens making poems for you

i am so glad that you liked my poem

and found it relatable

that’s all i’m going for here

to let you find yourself in part of me

my poems are parts of me

i remove my parts

blot the liver spots half cakey

gussy them up for you

my poems are sacred and full of holes

you should look more closely

the beauty is in the dishrag

god is what you can and can’t touch

my poems are like a great ass

you see them

and something comes out of you

-- like an emphatic exclamation

my poems are great

and you should agree in public

i don’t need you to send me a dm

i want you to like share and quote post

they say the best halloween costumes

are the ones you don’t have to explain

the best poems (mine)

are the ones that come without context

as a reader you are the context

you bring it everywhere you go

you let it reflect like a freckled mirror

onto every thing you experience

my poems are little thrill rides for you

i’m the carnie in the booth

providing the right lilt

so you don’t scooch off kilter

my poems contain safety mechanisms

so you don’t get too close

(subjects in the poem

are closer than they appear)

my poems are not prescriptive

what you do after reading them is your business

but if you want you can write a response poem

and post it directly to the timeline

________

Alexandra Naughton thinks it’s funny (disappointing) that the united states was founded on a revolution against tyranny and 250 years later we’re just like, yeah this is fine. She writes about online lit on Talk About It and runs Be About It Press. Her third novel, Fake Company, is forthcoming from Maudlin House in 2027. 

Alexandra Naughton is on X @alexandranaught and Instagram @alexandranaughton