By Keira Armstrong
tilt towards the light
wrap a hand around the burnt tip
in the living room
where shadows dip into
sunken yellowed eyes
and the walls are bleeding
in the summer i melt
folding my legs into smoke
and twisting my arms into
open flames
the dirty laundry lines my sternum
rotting plates are my hands
and the screaming porch
is my only face
now think of me with
palms pulsating against my eyes
clawing out ashes
teeth sinking into
the only tender part
of my father,
the end
Keira Armstrong, a young author and poet, is the founder of Verum Literary Press and a staff contributor at Cloudy Magazine. Their work has been published or is forthcoming in Defunkt Magazine, Healthline Zine, as well as local New Orleans magazines. You can find them on Instagram and Twitter @keira_armst.
