Listen to the Dead Leaves Scatter in the Alley
Somewhere inside of you
is a wind which carries
your grievances out of the river’s
mouth. Did you believe
you bore these by yourself?
No, they would rip
through your wet skin
from the weight of their damp
ribs. Come, begin
a melody. Sing and let the breeze
lift what is left of your long nights.
Let them return to the little
hollows of a body, your eye
sockets, your elbow’s crease.
Let their ashes fall between
the furrows of your feet. Open
your fingers, run them
along ridges worn from storms
conjured out of the dry air
and remember, there is nowhere
where the gusts blow
that you are alone.
K Janeschek is non-binary writer originally from the Midwest. Their work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Swamp Literary Magazine, Split Rock Review, Hawai’i Pacific Review, and elsewhere, and has won Hopwood awards in both poetry and nonfiction. They live in Alaska.
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