Departure
Leonard Colton Burton
Jumped up to find her frock
laced in metal shavings
it was rough to the touch
so it just sat there
On the table
given to me by my mother
who got it from her mother
And so it is
that people and things go in pieces
but not noticeably.
Thief
“Cat Over Moon” Madeleine Baer
LK
I am always plucking stars
that don’t belong to me
swiping marbles from velvet bags
and long nights I never lived through
ripping stitches from stories
piece by beloved piece until I
realize I’m still unsatisfied.
The things within me beg to speak
but I never got the hang of
giving bodies to ghosts.
17