Steeled

By Scott Thomas Outlar

Rock in your shoe. Beam in your eye.

Curse on your tongue. Snot on your nose.

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I’ll reserve most judgments for the mirror

and swallow pride until it profits my soul.

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Ace in your cut. Crush of your velvet.

Vice in your fix. Hue of your glow.

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Of gavels and hammers,

of slow aches and hallelujah.

Of portions and measures,

of postures and prayer.

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Scott Thomas Outlar lives and writes in the suburbs outside of Atlanta, Georgia. His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. He guest-edited the 2019 and 2020 Western Voices editions of Setu Mag. Selections of his poetry have been translated into Afrikaans, Albanian, Bengali, Dutch, French, Italian, Kurdish, Persian, Serbian, and Spanish. His sixth book, Of Sand and Sugar, was released in 2019. His podcast, Songs of Selah, airs weekly on 17Numa Radio and features interviews with contemporary poets, artists, musicians, and health advocates. More about Outlar’s work can be found at 17Numa.com. 

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