“[…] we can’t control nature — we are part of it.”
— Alber Elbaz
survived by every dark green dragonfl-
ight every cruel legislation vib-
rating stinging diamonding pearl-
ing baubles blue swarms of possibility
designing bodies anew
across double-faced twill
across the still pond’s surface
you disturb the piece to touch
your reflection your compass
to know to touch to disturb
you touch only what you hate
a sad string sews and strangles
swarms and swarms of you
through glass everything weeps
swarms and swarms of you
pearlescent ugly thing of beauty
House of Lanvin. Alber Elbaz. Dress, autumn/winter 2013-14
Paul Cunningham co-manages Action Books. He is the author of Sociocide at the 24/7 (New Michigan Press, 2025), Fall Garment (Schism Press, 2022), and The House of the Tree of Sores (Schism Press, 2020). Brillo, his next book of poetry, is forthcoming from Lavender Ink / Dialogos in 2025. He is also one of the collaborators in Katrine Øgaard Jensen’s Ancient Algorithms (Sarabande Books, 2025) His translation of Sara Tuss Efrik’s play Danse Macabre Piggies was anthologized in Experimental Writing: A Guidebook and Anthology (Bloomsbury, 2024). Cunningham currently manages the MFA in Creative Writing Program at the University of Notre Dame where he also teaches.