shenandoah
C.B. Walshak
suddenly, I am shenandoah:
clear-eyed daughter of the stars
eyes closed, I see purple, soft
breath: heavy, heart: full
face: blooming with new
blood
after, we listen to chris stapleton and I touch the wall behind my head,
hungry for breath
he wipes his mouth on my thighs,
hungry for reciprocation
like dreams ain’t just for dreamers
C.B. Walshak is a Virginia-born writer, whose work has been published on Leopardskin & Limes and in Pamplemousse. She lives with her husband in Charlottesville, VA where she is currently working on her debut novel and pursuing a Masters in English.
Two Bodies in the Same Sky
Jessica Van de Kemp
Across campus, the art gallery of headless
men, including their genitals, pays tribute to
neon spikes and Betelgeuse floor worms,
ripples of navy canvas on the wall, two seas
of the world, I have never been so touched in a warehouse of faces, nets getting caught,
a film of salt pills, clear day, geometric nests,
the breast bud, kissing ruby, spider on kite,
fly starlight, two of the brightest planets
in alignment, eyes forward, bonding or in bondage.
Jessica Van de Kemp is an award-winning teacher, poet, and PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo. She is the author of the poetry chapbooks Daughters in the Dead Land (Kelsay Books, 2017) and Spirit Light (The Steel Chisel, 2015). Learn more about her at: canadianpoet.org