Poetry by Julianne Neely

GEOGRAPHY

LISTEN

listen : poets : do not say : listen :
list : en : a robbery : can you list :
en to: a mother dead: in child birth :
listen : this is not cheeky : please
actually listen : to a woman : dull :
listen : lady : it is not that impressive
to write a poem : they say : listen :
okay i am: listless : in tranquility :
jabbering on : attempting a break :
clearly there is a break : in listening :
to a forest that could never last : no
nobody is listening : when a tree
falls i listen : but hear an earthly
nothing : that starts and ends with
a listen : that makes you run to
the window : to stare in awe when
you hear the crash : listen : perennial
mosses : listen : to what keeps you
honest : the tending of a garden :
the tender act : of listening : to
the person you love: i did not : listen
: to the ramble of men : telling me
to eat seeds : and grow something
that someone might : listen to : a
child : dead : yes : and in that lack :
woman : if only you could listen : in
rhyme : syllable revolution : metered
sign : well maybe : if everyone shut
up : i could finally listen : to a song :
to a sea : to the plastic entering my
lungs : to the people not listening :
to me: and if you are lucky nobody
will ever tell you : to listen : and you
will never say listen : softly or like
sand : everyone lets out a final sigh :
so listen : I am begging you to listen :
when I say listen : please absolutely
do not listen to the poets



Julianne Neely received her MFA degree from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she received the Truman Capote Fellowship, the 2017 John Logan Poetry Prize, and a Schupes Fellowship for Poetry. She is currently a Poetics PhD candidate and an English Department Fellow at the University at Buffalo. Her writing has been published in Hyperallergic, VIDA, The Rumpus, The Iowa Review and more.