by David Hanlon
Roy Orbison was struck many times by tragedy,
his voice carrying it
like something held too long in the throat,
never fully formed
into speech.
Still, his voice makes me believe
I can go back
and begin again
like a dawn returning
without memory of what it erased.
I want to live inside it—
like a hermit crab
borrowing someone else’s shell
until it tightens
around me.
David Hanlon is a poet from Cardiff, Wales. His work has appeared in numerous journals and magazines, including Rust & Moth, Anthropocene, and trampset. His debut full-length collection, Dawn’s Incision, was published by Icefloe Press.
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