Ellen Austin-Li: Blushing & Rising
The kaleidoscope spins shards of shifting glass,
and I emerge wearing this hot pink sweat-
shirt with zippers. Come inside where it’s wet
and I’m alive, fire eyes.
Shadi Karamroudi: All the Time
Hearing that her teenage sister is planning to commit suicide, Toranj is in limbo, not knowing how to react.
Alexis Rhone Fancher: Three Pantoums for My Sister
Enough already! My sister says..
I can’t bear to watch you anymore.
I know she’s right. But I can’t stop.
I mean where would I put my sorrow?
Alexis Rhone Fancher: Out of Order
Promise me, my sister says. That you’ll be there if something happens to me. I know she worries about the fate of her children if she becomes injured, succumbs to a virus or is killed in a crash. Anything’s possible, she says. For better or worse, her sperm donor’s out of the picture.
Ellery Akers: After the Election
Beautiful wreckage of my country, I’m still trying to love you.
Alice Friman: Puddles
As if overnight, the flowering pear tree
is flowering. A froth of white.
Deborah Bogen: Sisters
I’m the last sister standing — but tonight I mean to lie down, to practice being in the box
