Forging a Kingdom & Through the Looking Glass
by Audra Burwell
California State University Fresno
Audra Burwell is a creative writing major at California State University Fresno where she is aiming for a Master of Fine Arts degree with a specialization in poetry. She will be completing her undergraduate studies in Spring 2023. Her work has been published by Palaver Journal, Deep Overstock, Carcinogenic Poetry, Snapdragon Journal, EBer & Wein Publishing, Serpentine Zine Literary Magazine, and Superpresent Magazine, as well as appearing on the Do Fiction Podcast. Her ekphrastic poem, Liberation, was featured on display at the Phebe Conley Art Gallery’s Fall 2021 “Nobody Promised You Tomorrow: Art 50 Years After Stonewall” art exhibition. Audra is a member of the Fresno State Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society and has also served on the editorial board for the Spring 2022 Young Writers Conference, producer of the Spectrum journal. Her poems Residing in Your Veins and Concealed Oasis were both selected as finalists in Fresno State’s Art Song Festival Poetry competition where they will be performed in front of a live audience.
Forging a Kingdom
Waves thunder against the jagged cliffside,
A whirlpool swirling at our feet, gyrating in
A vortex of seafoam and fury, threatening
To smother us in its vengeful depths
Yet we stand untouched, hidden in the mist,
Fingers interlaced, woven together by the
Scarlet lifeblood spilling from our hearts.
A silent, unspoken truth binds us, bridging
The void of memories, of shared history
Seen through wise and weary eyes, brimming
With starlight, a universe harbored in our veins,
An untamed wilderness begging for release
From the iron cage we built to contain its
Bestial brilliance, lest we be vanquished by it.
The kingdom looming behind us stands as a
Testament to the legacy we forged together
With the bruised and bloodied fingers of
Warriors who have swum down the deepest
Wells of agony, yet still surfaced with breath
In our aching lungs, feeding off each other
Conviction, a flickering strength reignited.
Our eyes remain locked, sapphire penetrating
Umber, a silent thread of communication,
Tethered at our core, shared secrets spanning
Millenniums, a whirlwind of time whipping our
Skin like the lashes we were once given, a
Punishment for our power, viridescent with envy,
Our beauty radiates, spanning universes unbound.
Our lips collide, wildfire consuming each atom
Of our essence, neurons pulsing and firing, the
Blaze sweeping over our scarred bodies, cores
Turning molten as we melt and ebb into one
Another, lines blurred, an atomic fusion of two
Vessels stripped bare, utterly vulnerable to the
Capricious sway of a feverish and eternal love.
Clasped together, heart to heart, we slowly sink
To the stone precipice below, bones aching with
A suppressed longing, brittle and primordial,
Our ancient spark flickering, a fire of hope to
The world, fading gently into the night, an era
Bygone, its history written by our hands, eyes
Fluttering closed, at long last peace has found us.
Through the Looking Glass
Letters to the dead flutter through the chamber,
Winged ravens bringing news from the afterlife,
Their tears washing away waning rivulets of ink.
This glass house screams for your return, raindrops
Leaking from below its cracked dome, their piercing
Wails clawing at my neck, a silent death kiss from you.
I close my heart to their cries, locking away your voice,
Its haunting melody echoing from within the iron vault
Of my mind, equally distant in death as it was in life.
I was one of the few who understood you, who silently
Lurked beside and watched as you destroyed yourself,
Unknowingly becoming the vessel to wield your powers.
You were the puppeteer behind the velvet drapes, each
String pulled, a life engulfed by flames, the conductor of
Masses, hidden at the heart of humanity’s grand orchestra.
Now you have merged with the realm of the lamented,
Swimming through the depths of the Aegean Sea, your
Death throne adorned with pearls of silver and gold.
I hope it comforts you to know that your legacy lives on,
Sixty-seven years of knowledge, bleeding from my lips,
Spilling forth, a tidal wave engulfing an ungrateful world.
Interview with the Author
What pieces inspired you to start writing poetry?
Growing up in the heart of the Central Valley, and more specifically, Fresno CA, a city coined the "Poetry Capital of The World" by Juan Felipe Herrera, I was initially inspired to write after realizing legends such as Philip Levine, Peter Everwine, Gary Soto, Lee Herrick, Margarita Engle, and Bryan Medina lived mere miles away. Later in life, as I embarked upon my college education, I studied many of the classic writers in contemporary poetry, broadening my horizons and juxtaposing the literary knowledge I had already learned with this newfound canon. The content, message, and tone of my later work became inspired heavily by the Beat Poets, particularly by Allen Ginsberg's Howl. My style, lyricism, and the figurative techniques which I learned to harness were inspired by several prolific authors such as Mai Der Vang, Arthur Rimbaud, Brynn Saito, Charles Bukowski, and Pablo Neruda.
What theme do you find yourself constantly writing about in your works?
I have observed the theme of existentialism, or rather the gravity of one's existence recurring in much of my work. I do not mean this in a religious or philosophical way, but rather in the sense of metacognition. I enjoy using poetry to illustrate the beauty and darkness of the human condition, to interrogate the mysteries of living, of what it means to be real, to be vulnerable to an entire universe of the unknown. It is difficult to put such abstract concepts into written words and that is why attempting to fascinates me so much. I enjoy the challenge of it.
What do you think are important elements in thought provoking poems?
Originality, depth, lyricism, accessibility, and honesty are all incredibly important aspects to keep in mind when creating thought provoking writing, whether poetry or prose. One must be genuinely passionate about the subject they are focusing on otherwise shallowness will show as a type of imposter syndrome develops. A writer must also be confident in their poetic abilities, otherwise insecurity will take over and bleed through the structure of the stanzas and the word choice they implement. Lastly, the subject matter covered in poetry must contain the right balance of complexity and relatability. You do not want to be too vague or general by choosing to exhaust a topic that has already been done countless times. However, you also do not want to tackle a subject that is extremely unreachable or confusing, one that you do not feel you can successfully convey to an average audience.
What role do you think poetry has on our society today?
Poetry is still an extremely crucial aspect of society today and has evolved to fit the needs of our modern generation. Poetry can function as an outlet to heal childhood trauma and overcome emotional wounds inflicted by an insensitive world. It can also act as a form of protest by calling out injustices in our culture while still balancing them with artistic expression. Poetry allows us to communicate globally and at a level that transcends the spoken word. It unites nations with its beauty and encourages peace to prosper.