by Carly Zoladz
steam fog
escaped the heat below.
smoke signals
formed from billowing
pond air.
steeped in the artifacts
of time, boiled
overnight and
trapped with resin.
i read into it like cumulus
clouds, just shapeshifters
i can make mean anything.
when all i knew was
the electricity
behind your eyes.
contingency plans
tomorrow's september
lies in the thin of the air.
the magnolia blooms a
second time. dialed into
AM radio, tell me everything
you learned about the stars.
i follow the crux with
a headlamp, i'm in the
swarm smoke of midges.
ate a mouthful of my old
patterns, got iodine tablets
and murky water in a
plastic bottle to tide me.
you find me crafting the
true holy water, tears by
the aster and goldenrod
— asking of my mother.
phone up the angels;
i'm telling them
i'm worth it these days.
****
Carly Zoladz lives in Chicago, Illinois. You can find her work on instagram: @sentient__sentiment and twitter: @painsofbeinpure.