We try to remember the Stages of Grief
1) a vase of carnations
pink as infected eyes
2) from a plastic packet, gray clouds of plant food
3) a black dress folded gently by my father,
shipped overnight
4) thunder coils in its black
basket of clouds
5) candle on the desk, wick burning breakneck
6) in the flame I thought I saw his face
7)
Emily Graf has recently relocated to Austin, TX, but considers herself nomadic. She graduated in 2015 from Kenyon College with a degree in English and Poetry Writing. At present, her favorite poets include Maggie Nelson, Sandra Lim, and D.A. Powell. Her work has been previously published in Right Hand Pointing, as well as Kenyon’s on-campus journals Persimmons, HIKA, and the Fabulist. She can be contacted at emgraf11@gmail.com
Cover Photo: garlandcannon (https://www.flickr.com/photos/garlandcannon/)