Hannah Mahoney

Issue 17

RULES

Certain bones are of intrinsic value.
The inner table is “toward the light.”
A stone may jump over adverse stones.
The asker is bound by the reply.


OBSERVATIONS

The naked eye
A blue companion
The body
The right leg
The left shoulder
The string of pearls

A swan with wings outstretched
A man encircled by a serpent
A lion crouching
The heart of the snake
They are close together
It is very dangerous


Source & Method

All lines taken verbatim from these sources:
“Rules”: My family’s battered and frequently consulted edition of Hoyle’s Rules of Games, edited by Albert H. Morehead and Geoffrey Mott-Smith (New York: New American Library/Signet, 1963)

“Observations”: An Instant Guide to the Stars and Planets, by Pamela Forey and Cecilia Fitzsimmons (New York: Bonanza Books, 1988).


Hannah Mahoney is a coauthor of Dream Language: For Three Voices (Yet to Be Named Free Press). Her work has appeared in a variety of journals, and she is the recipient of a Kaji Aso International Haiku Award. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


Photo by Soroush Karimi