There is coyote-song after the smoke alarms wake us at 4am screaming fire where there is none— when did the shape of us become fight or flight & how many notes have I stuck to the mirror asking when will this get easier ? Everything is thirsting. I hang sheets to dry in the strong rivers of air, pick a wine labeled Pessimist for a funeral of sliced apples and cheddar on the back porch—maybe the heat index has broken longing, maybe I will take to my bed, or splash Tarot cards along the tile floor to divine a future that looks nothing like today where you & I are touching almost—the longest day of our marriage, a record we’ve rewritten a thousand times against argument.
Megan Merchant (she/her) is the owner of the editing, manuscript consultation, and mentoring business Shiversong and the author of four full-length collections. The latest, Before the Fevered Snow, was released at the start of the pandemic by Stillhouse Press. She is the editor of the literary journal Pirene’s Fountain. You can find her work at meganmerchant.wix.com/poet.
See you at AWP!
2/7 / Meet the Artist with visiting poet-in-residence Farnaz Fatemi / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed on Instagram Live/Facebook Live at @swwimmiami / 6:00 pm EST / Free
2/7 / Poetry Reading with visiting poet-in-residence Farnaz Fatemi + local writer Fabienne Josaphat / The Library at The Betsy-South Beach, Miami Beach, FL / Live and Live-Streamed on Instagram Live/Facebook Live at @swwimmiami / 7:30 pm EST / Free
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