​Sagitta

sagitta (saˈd͡ʒit.ta): 

       1) a dim, distinct constellation in the northern sky 
       2) root of “sagittal suture”, the seam connecting left and right parietal bones of skull
       3) latin for “arrow” 
       4) keystone of an arch 

​also, sagitta: 
        the dot between my integers and their floating points 
        those anodyne remainders from years of meticulously 
        dividing my body into smaller and smaller portions to give to you 

once i asked if you wanted some champagne and you said 
       “yes, but i’m gonna wanna put a bunch of shit in mine” 
        and one of my sagittas flickered out 
Sagitta, is an embrace but a vice grip justified by its generosity? 

        Sagitta’s lover is hunching, holding down 
        the arches pressing them down 
        all the way down while sagitta blinks like 
        a low battery* 
Sagitta, you are your own linchpin. redistribute your downward force, you go gitta. 

see also sagittating: 
        verb. temporarily unzipping 
        the sagittal suture to allow the 
        brain to continue to grow normally; 
                      e.g., 
                      that street-walk clarity 
                      country girl in the city high 
                      sagittating 
                      bullseye 


*this is not a cyborg metaphor. i am not a robot girl, just a series of anatomic landmarks in search of sagittal bliss.

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Amy Smith is a writer and researcher living in San Francisco, California. She was born and raised in Florida. A geographer by training, she currently works as a data scientist and makes maps in her spare time. Her poetry has previously appeared in the Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, Cathexis Northwest Press, and Sparkle & Blink.