Day 30, Poet 30: Corinne Elysse Adams

Photo by Shivani Gupta

Forbidden
The white teeth of the fence cannot keep you in,
cannot swallow you in another convulsive fight
dark throated halls of the house you loathe--
Picket. Take a stand. Jump the dull incisors
and heave your torn skirt towards freedom. 
Towards the singing. Do it again and again. 
Do you know what is waiting for you?
You are going home.


Previously published in No More In Darkness: Routes to Alexandra David-Neel by dancing girl press

Corinne Elysse Adams is a storycollector, poet, editor, folk musician, and teacher. She holds a BA from Sophia University in Tokyo and an MSc in poetry from the University of Edinburgh. Her poetry has appeared in literary magazines such as Confrontation and the Asia Literary Review, in the form of a chapbook with Dancing Girl Press, and as the libretto for Tony Solitro's composition No More in Darkness: Meditations on the Life of Alexandra David-Neel.  Together with her creative partner, Shivani Gupta, she created the multimedia storytelling project thread whispers (threadwhispers.wordpress.com), working together with storytellers in remote locations around India to create lyrical translations, soundscapes, and photographic renditions of their stories in the context of the local geography and communities. She also co-founded and edits the Port Townsend based literary journal the Sextant Review. When not assaulting the keys of her typewriter, she plays Irish fiddle, studies Japanese folk singing, performs with traditional music projects, and grows food in her garden on the Olympic Peninsula.