For the next episode of “Explain Yourself!” in which a writer is challenged to respond to my question about their piece before this post scrolls off the page, I’m putting Lindsay Coloracci under the light. Lyndsay lives in Philadelphia, and I read her poems in the beautiful new issue of Shabby Doll House.

I find her direct address especially interesting—more interesting than usual—because the things she’s saying are more interesting than usual. I wonder what words she’s talking about, when talking about words that sound better articulated carefully. The line about kissing reminds me of Catullus. This line in particular gave me pause:

i am telling everyone that i just need one
non-painful experience and then that’s it

View more from “Explain Yourself!” here.