I practiced insanity in the mirror to satisfy
the hundreds, said my own name aloud until
it lost all meaning. Nellie, Nell-ie, Nellie.
How will you get me out after I once get in?
It was never a question of who I was or how
long I might be there. L gave me a spoon,
E a small pinecone she had kept safe in her
mouth for over an hour. J pressed a lock of her
hair into my palm, silently, like an heirloom.
My girls, forgive me. Each time they praise
or slander me, I conjure your faces–a single
feature, whatever I can summon. If nowhere else
on earth, you are held tenderly in my mind.
Stunt girl by Lindsay Stewart | Sandalwood & Vanilla Poetry Reed Diffuser Set
$20.00Price
