Glossary by K.D. Harryman
Clear, To: To remove kinks and snarls from a rope.
Clue: A Thread which, if followed, leads to the solution of a problem.
Give, To: To start, to ease, to render, to slacken, to slip.
Grow, To: A cable grows in the direction it leads from the hawse hole.
(Q) “How does she grow?” (A) “Dead ahead, sir!”
Open, To: To separate the strands or yarns of a rope. To untie a knot.
Pinion, To: To bind the arms or wings of any creature.
Sick Seams: A sailmaking term. Indicates that the stitches are worn and giving way.
K. D. Harryman is the author of Girls’ Book of Knots (BlazeVox[books], 2023). Her work has appeared in The Academy of American Poets Poem-a-Day Series, Narrative, Cream City Review, The Greensboro Review, and Raleigh Review among others. She is the recipient of the 2019 Rumi Prize sponsored by Arts & Letters and the 2018 James Hearst Poetry Prize sponsored by North American Review. Her first book, Auto Mechanic's Daughter, was selected by Chris Abani for the Black Goat Poetry Series Imprint at Akashic Books in Brooklyn. She lives with her family in Los Angeles and served as Poetry Editor for Five South.