Here we present another diverse group of voices for you to enjoy. Cheers!
The Stain
by Sadie Shorr-Parks
He infested my afternoon
Like maggots to the rot
And stained everything with art.
His eyes leaked into mine.
They’re only oceans
He said, once, while fidgeting
His muscle-entangled arm.
Then he scoured his brain for
A solvent to the abrasive silence
And sputtered And France,
It’s Beautiful as if the words
Were saturated in ipecac.
A love fermented in the air between
Us, silent as soliel de coucher.
It’s been years, but I still
Remember the hills boiling
off the ground, the wild azaleas, and
Him, a man diseased with goodness,
Earnest as a midnight prayer,
And the alchemy of us
Making something from love’s ash
For as long as we did.
Bio: Sadie Shorr-Parks studied writing at University of Oxford and later at Syracuse University. Her poem will appear in the upcoming issue of Calliope. (more…)
