Sometimes When I Say Ohio

I mean this endless field between us

this state where we have not kissed

kissed but only once

I mean the trauma of seeming normal

untouched by saltwater

I mean I’m trying to talk about the body 

without talking about the state

the body like the wind lost on its way east

like trucks on state highways

bearing what people need

or want as if we could ever know the difference

between a place to pass through and a place to rest

I mean the moon like a gold coin

risen low over knee-high midsummer corn

I mean this dark sky shot bright with desire

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Amorak Huey is the author of Mouth, forthcoming in 2026 from Cornerstone Press, and four previous collections of poetry. Co-founder with Han VanderHart of River River Books, Huey directs the creative writing program at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.