push and swell
crescendo diminuendo
husk of female vocal
tribal and primitive
primal drums
hank of horsehair
split
drops
of condensation
on a window
bodies in heat
push and swell
push and swell
pull taut the canvas
pull taut to rip
to tear the threads the sinews
burst the valves the veins the vascular muscles
glassy beads of sweat on shiny skin
contort constrict collapse
Canvas
by Annabelle Carvell
Annabelle Carvell recently graduated from the University of Chichester with a First Class BA (Hons) degree in English and Creative Writing, and was awarded the Hugo Donnelly Literary History Prize. She is now the co-editor of 'Synaesthesia Magazine,' and is currently working on her first short story collection.