“Cell Cycle” by Cameron Atlas Chiovitti
Poetry Pause is the League of Canadian Poets’ daily poetry dispatch. Read “Cell Cycle” by Cameron Atlas Chiovitti, part of the League’s Fresh Voices program.
Cell Cycle
By Cameron Atlas Chiovitti
Fourteen years ago I dropped a double-sided mirror.
Each shiny shard splayed out; spliced cells
under the microscope. I’ve already replaced myself twice
but superstition beckons my wreckage to rest at every five-
star diner, doubt lurking off the sides of my neural highways.
I can only map my way back to who I think I was meant to be
by the breaking at the bends of my elbows.
The first time, the new cells
oozed sour berry sugar & slush.
I found a girl & named her glow stick,
cracked my teeth crooked around her wrist;
stained myself sticky with rejection.
The light of her laughter: ever-red reflection,
mounted a dull flicker atop my gas station tongue.
Last week, I didn’t remember her birthday. I was busy
buying cigarettes & a new set of bulbs to bruise my cheeks.
The old cells forgot how else to fuel themselves
without her fluorescent freckles
lighting bedroom lungs. This redesigned
smile drives down blue-skied eyes. I found a girl
& she spills I love you’s from lemon lips down thirsty arms.
My elbows glisten & sting & still, they steer me sour.
Copyright © Cameron Atlas Chiovitti
Previously published Call This Don’t Go (Siren’s Muse 2025).
Cameron Atlas Chiovitti, born and raised in Montreal, is a graduate from Toronto’s OCAD University. They’re on a mission to turn the intangible into palpable moments by exploring themes of mental health and queer identity with curiosity, tenderly composed imagery, and a playful approach to form. Some of their publications include Petal Projections, Beyond the Veil Press, FreezeRay Poetry, and their latest chapbook, Call This Don’t Go.
Fresh Voices is a publication and workshop program created by and for the League’s associate members, curated and edited by Erin Vance.
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