by Rachael Crosbie
in the gloaming
something vibrates a dusky smell
of dying moons and shadow
& something in you
reaches for dawn—how soon
the indigo breaks
to harvest gold yellow,
like wilting sunflowers,
this burning prism
of heaven wronged
by clouds lazily coiled
like copperheads
& something in you slithers
through the sky’s glass mouth
your broken reflection
in twitching rivers
its ditch water spits out
your sloughing skin
in the feral gloaming.
This cento borrows lines and words from Issue 11: Kathleen M. Heideman (“Panorama Point Overlook – N 43°47’75” W 102°03’67”), Christy Alexander Hallberg (“Copperhead”), Chris Muravez (“Letters to Dick”), Elisa Karbin (“Body Heat”), Dana Sonnenschein (“Living with Flood”), torrin a. greathouse (“Aubade (from Body to Little Black Dress)”), Jill Crammond (“Mary Returns the Affection”), Lana Bella (“Dear Suki: Number Thirteen”), Julian Randall (“Un/Civil Disobedience Winner” and “Un/Civil Disobedience Runner-Up”).
Rachael Crosbie (they/them) is the Editor-in-Chief and Founder of the winnow magazine. Rachael has three poetry chapbooks published: self-portrait as poems about bad poetry, swerve, and MIXTAPES. Their next poetry chapbook, Trick Mirror or Your Computer Screen, is forthcoming with fifth wheel press. You can find them on Twitter @rachaelapoet posting about squishmallows, She-Ra and The Princesses of Power, and their cats.
Emerge Literary Journal 