Ode to Peeling an Orange by Dominique Ahkong
“When she sucked juice from her cuts, // that, too was comfort. Nothing was wasted, // of course.” — Dominique Ahkong
Evening by Kuhu Joshi
“On the bridge, people are carried / in the body of a train, nodding like peonies.” — Kuhu Joshi
Grievances by Sophie Zhu
“Ghosts of a womb / tuck the air in guilt, // our throats heavy / with apology.” — Sophie Zhu
Telemachus’ Detachment by Louise Glück
“Now I think / heartbreaking, but also / insane.” — Louise Glück
The Astronaut Explains Divorce to Me by Ash Bowen
“But at night, the frequency / of your grief keeps him homing through // our house.” — Ash Bowen
What We Hold by Ugochukwu Okpara
“held her hands / instead / and asked why / now why keep a thing / so heavy away / from me” — Ugochukwu Okpara
Telling My Father by James Crews
“Out late was all he said. And then smiled, / rubbing the small of my back through the robe / for a while,” — James Crews