Slip the Knot - Todd Campbell

How much safer 

to pretend we’re gathering 

twigs to build the perfect nest 

that our bees shape gold wax

into hive-perfect geometry 

to store honey for our brood

that the strands of wool 

we spin into soft yarn 

will always keep us warm

than admit we’re twisting 

rough rope into a hangman’s knot.

See how it looms overhead—

part threat, part dare. 

Who will cinch it round 

the other’s bare neck?

Or climb alone to the top rung,

bow into the coiled loop, balance 

for one terrible moment, then smile

and kick the ladder away? 

Originally published by Sepia Journal, issue 8, July 2, 2023

Todd Campbell: I’m a writer based in Seattle where I’ve lived for the past three decades. A speechwriter by trade, I got my start in TV and radio news, then worked as a freelance print journalist. Once upon a time I was a professional musician. These days I’m also a mosaic artist. My poetry has appeared in Pangyrus, Reed Magazine, The Shore, Watershed, and elsewhere.