Mythomania
For years, the only way to speak was to lie. Have you brushed today? Yes. Are you still in bed? No. Have you eaten since yesterday? Yes.
Who
who
more inhumane
than
who
more brutal
than
who
who
pounded
bloodied
broken
Thaathaa
My papa’s papa used to run after the wooden cart of prasadam
each dawn for food
Young feet bleeding over the rough road.
Bestiary
All my life I’ve wanted to knit an aardvark
not this endless succession of zebras—
black and white wool seems sterile
and the stripes never come out lifelike.
For a Robot
Image: “Yellow Flowers” by Carla Paton. “For a Robot” was written by Alison Bailey for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, September 2023, and selected as the Artist’s Choice. (PDF / JPG)
To the Woman Who Shoplifted My Black Dansk Clogs
To the woman who shoplifted my black Dansk clogs
from the consignment store where I sometimes browse—
because maybe there’s a sweater
that belonged to someone who