This piece is part of a collection of golden shovels tentatively titled Doors of Fire and Night. I gave myself a few rules when writing. First, so I don't take too long getting to the end-line word, I restricted myself to around ten syllables per line. I also decided to switch subjects every few lines, trusting the subconscious to hold the poem together. The results are as much a surprise to me as anyone.

Mary Ann Honaker is the author of Becoming Persephone (Third Lung Press, 2019), and Whichever Way the Moon (Main Street Rag, 2023). Her poems have appeared in Bear Review, JMWW, Juked, Little Patuxent Review, Rattle.com, Solstice, Sweet Tree Review, and elsewhere. She currently lives in Beckley, West Virginia.

W: maryannhonaker.wordpress.com
F: facebook.com/Mary-Ann-Honaker-95839334928