After Chen Chen Learning the light switches is the first trick—each time I palm the wall by accident I stay longer in the dark. Then, where to put the spoons and where to put my heart? Not the highest shelf in the closet, not among shoes shucked by the front door. Not below my tongue— that old home its outgrown. Not pressed in the pages of a novel— never again in her hands. I throw it to the cat who tosses it between her paws and teeth, another toy she mistakes for meat.
Amie Whittemore (she/her) is the author of the poetry collections Glass Harvest (Autumn House Press), Star-tent: A Triptych (Tolsun Books) and Nest of Matches (Autumn House Press, 2024). She was the 2020-2021 Poet Laureate of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. She teaches creative writing at Eastern Illinois University and directs MTSU Write, a from-home creative writing mentorship program.
Submit your favorite SWWIM poem!
“The Slowdown is working on a special series of episodes featuring curation from our community. What poems out in the world speak The Slowdown to you? This project intends to amplify your love of the work of other poets, so please refrain from submitting your own work. Submissions are open through Sunday, March 24th at 11:59 pm PT at slowdownshow.org/community.”
4/10 / Meet the Artist with visiting poet-in-residence Tyler Mills / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed on Instagram Live/Facebook Live at @swwimmiami / 6:00 pm EST / Free
4/10 / Poetry Reading with visiting poet-in-residence Tyler Mills + local writer Jennifer Litt / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed on Instagram Live/Facebook Live at @swwimmiami / 7:30 pm EST / Free
Are you a SWWIMmer with literary news to share (publication/feature/award/book/book review)? We’d love to shout out your accomplishments in our Weekly Spotlight! Please email swwimmiami@gmail.com. (No DMs on any social media platforms, please.)
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, and Bluesky for more updates—and visit our website to see past, present, and future readings & events.
**We do our best to preserve the integrity of each poem; however, due to programming limitations, some poems may read differently on a mobile phone and in certain browsers. For best viewing, use Chrome on a desktop/laptop.