Graham Murtaugh

hold empty

how both a basket
& casket are.

also: a door
ajar.

a womb before
& after birth.

oh oh oh
a mouth mouthing

in awe or ecstasy.
an echoing

cave of sorrows.
singing

bowls. bowels.
bombs. pockets

of silence. hollow
mockeries re: bird song

stilled. jade green
silk socks.

loose fists bunched
around mugs.

lungs cupping
air.

how a body at sea
floats

at rest, a tender buoy
of breath.

Graham Murtaugh is a licensed psychotherapist living and working in Tacoma, WA. In 2024, Graham was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for his poem "All day long the world is going". Recent publications include Clarion, Dark Mountain, Abandoned Mine and others.