Begin
So you go wild
in the crystal orb
of grief, fragile as
a scorpion’s tail.
Your mother used to
tell you about the
one she killed in
Nicaragua where she
worked as a nurse,
about how she kept
it encased in resin
as a reminder.
The animal you love
catches his paw in
a metal snare, screams
until you slip quietly
into the hellmouth.
She tells you now
you must get up.
And then you free him.
Donora Shaw (née Hillard) is the author of the poetry book Jeff Bridges (with illustrations by Goodloe Byron; Cobalt Press, 2016) and several other books and chapbooks of poetry and theory. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and children and can be found elsewhere at www.donora-ann.com.
Fixator Press 