This poem was first performed at the New York City Poetry Festival on Governors Island, July 29, 2017, and was subsequently published in Asimov’s Science Fiction, September/October 2018.
Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedthe golem lies on its back
unseeing eyes seeing a ceiling
which might as well be its sky
while i stand outside
and count the stars
see the golem at the bar
numbing its numbness
never tasting the no. 7
while i pick up the tab
and pursue you through the night
the golem stares a hole
through the television screen
where i’m an outlaw for your love
its pulse never quickening
the golem reads the new york times
all the war and betrayal and stupidity
in one eye and out the other
while i cross hot coals both ways for you
look
see the golem idly touch its brow
the inscription that holds it in thrall
carved deep with a knife of gold
in runes of power from a dead language
it rubs away a formless ache
the golem without a thought in its head
while i crack the corners of my carapace
and emerge
sticky and glistening
look at the golem
banded and bound
now look at me
free
look at me
me ∅
Thank you for reading William Shunn’s Main Wish Null. This post is public so feel free to share it.
