Self-Portrait as Coriander Seed
Specifically, one of many coriander seeds
in an envelope my daughter bought at Lidl
using a pinch of her birthday money
Poems, Young Poets
Eulogy for a Balloon
A balloon once lived for a month and a little bit more until Daddy accidentally murdered him. But he is
Motorway Man
I want to tell you: I watched you sleep on the side of the road
with your chest held in the fireman’s hands. His face turned
from the traffic slowing down.
Joy
Image: “The Kitchen Goddess” by JoAnne Tucker. “Joy” was written by Melissa Madenski for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, February 2023, and selected as the Editor’s Choice.
Gonzo
the gonzo mug, the first thing for which i reached
that night when i was twelve and i returned
to the cubicle in the convent i called home
Archetypes
If all of our machines become aware,
Developing some form of sentient thought,
I wonder if they’ll feel suppressed or not,
And think their former treatment was unfair.