Karla Linn Merrifield

In My Element
 
I am Quicksilver
my poetic persona
nom de plume
alias
 
I am mercurial
Virgo of ruling planet Mercury
body now in retrograde
solar system amiss
 
I am oft disguised in cinnabar
throughout this world
known to Hatshepsut
ancient Egypt’s great queen
                                   
 
I am Element 80, née hydragyrum
from the Greek
hydra/water
argros/silver
 
I am oft labeled Hg
in your iambs
rhyming my rhombohedral crystals
ever your heavy metallic liquid muse
 
I am here in my native element for you
line’s atomic weight
stanza the atomic radius of my stanza
poem’s primordial classified occurrence
 
∴ Quicksilver
 

Karla Linn Merrifield has sixteen books to her credit. Hernewest My Body the Guitar, recently nominated for the 2022 National Book Award, was published by Before Your Quiet Eyes Publications Holograph Series. She is frequent contributor to The Songs of Eretz Poetry Review.

Website: https://www.karlalinnmerrifield.org/;
blog at https://karlalinnmerrifeld.wordpress.com/; Tweet @LinnMerrifiel; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karlalinn.merrifield.