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Image by Cora Leach
Writer's pictureNolcha Fox

October 2024 Feature




Waiting to Be Worn


Meeting misunderstandings

leave us punctured and jagged.


Abrasive reactions

cause bristled veneers. 


Time will smooth out all our sharp edges,

if only I can wait to be worn.


***

Grand Theft


Sunrise slips his fingers 

through the bottoms of the curtains,


butter pooling on the floor 

too early for my taste.


Soft grunts tell me my alarm dog

wants me to get up and start the day. Or else.


Birds chirp, a distraction meant 

to keep me from perceiving


this band of thieves 

has stolen all my dreams.


***

Too Cool


The summer heat does not compete

with frosty ice-blue eyes.


Her dress a ripple, a breezy sail

as she sashays along.


Sweating men and panting dogs 

follow in her wake.


She’s one hot dame, but men exclaim

she’s cool as a glass of water.


***

Echoes


Deaf, her voice climbs up in volume.

Stop and treat and feed.


Her barks bounce off the walls and ceilings.

Stop and treat and feed.


She is the shadow of our footsteps.

Stop and treat and feed.


We try to sleep, but she wants goodies.

Stop and treat and feed.


One day, she’ll leave her absence on the cushion.

Stop and look and cry.


***

Paradise


In our innocence, we were Adam and Eve

until another snaked into your life.


In our paradise, I was left alone,

cracked rib and indigestion.


In grief, the flowers wilted, trees fell

under thunderstorms and hail.


In opening my eyes, to my surprise,

raindrops bejeweled devastation.


In gratitude, flowers bloomed,

trees sent out new shoots.


In the end, I found paradise

in the little things around me.


***

Heavenly


Meteor showers sing through the sky,

the night ablaze with falling jewels.


Their melody a heavenly song

only the angels can hear.


***

Deep Dive


I climb the ladder from midnight sleep.

The new day is a high dive.


A somersault, I straighten out,

and drown in morning light.


***

Feral


Hope is wild, wily, sly,

curious, but elusive.


I brush spider webs

of sorrow from my eyes


to see her prowl

from shadow to sun.


I blink, she’s gone. She only leaves

a trail of hairballs and splinters of grief.


***

What’s for Breakfast?


I scramble my brains with cheesy jokes

and pour myself some coffee.


When I wake up, I’ll heat the pan

for words as crisp as bacon.


***

Dreams to Nightmares


Clouds wisp through my mind as 

my eyes close to night.


They transform to carpets 

that float into the sky.


The carpets unravel and

weave into dream scarves


that tangle and strangle

the sleep from my eyes.


***

Chronic Pain


Nine years of daily chronic pain,

I thought that was my lot.


I waited patiently for pain

to leave and let me start my life.


And now, it’s gone, I should 

feel free to live as I desire.


I hold my breath, afraid I’ll wake

to life with chronic pain.


published in Medusa's Kitchen


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