he shows up like smoke leads to fire
a boy with fog where his soul should be
I built him that way
when I peel back the flesh

there’s nothing that hurts

“I know your wrists”
I want to tell him

I know his wrists

I know the shape
radial styloid process
carpi ulnaris
the dappled skin from palm to elbow

I stuffed him with mandrake
I stitched his stomach shut
even as it swelled–
–nearly ruptured
with earth and herb

I used my womb so he could bear our sons

it was otherwise unoccupied

 

***

Senia Hardwick is an MFA candidate at Queens College, expected to graduate May of 2019. They have been featured in a variety of online and print publications, including TLDR Magazine and The Pickling Poet. More of their work can be found at www.seniahardwick.wordpress.com and on Instagram at necro.pharmakon.

 

Back to Issue: Summer 2018