Short Fiction
Hope
1 min
February Morning, Self Portrait
Kathleen McGookey
as frost on the shingles
as lost school form, crumpled under the table
as smudge on my glasses
as clouds like cotton balls, as the bit of blue peeking through
as nail in the spare tire
as dream in which I write a check to cover the damages
as grocery list, as $100 bill, as broken pencil with no eraser
as wet laundry, forgotten in the washer
as surgeon's scalpel, incision blooming behind me
not as hawk gliding through the dawn
no, not as dawn, indigo softening to gray
not as dead deer, head twisted in the gravel at the side of the road
but maybe as steam rising from sun-warmed shingles, roof dappled with shadow
maybe as white jet drawing a line across the sky, stitching clouds together
February Morning, Self Portrait was accepted as part of the MSU Library Short Edition call for work on the theme of “recovery,” in coordination with the MSU Broad Art Museum's exhibit of Beverly Fishman's art, also called Recovery.
Kathleen McGookey's most recent books are Instructions for My Imposter (Press 53, 2019) and Nineteen Letters (BatCat Press, 2019). Her work has recently appeared in Copper Nickel, Crazyhorse, December, Field, Glassworks, Miramar, Quiddity, and Sweet. She lives in Middleville, Michigan with her family.
Kathleen McGookey's most recent books are Instructions for My Imposter (Press 53, 2019) and Nineteen Letters (BatCat Press, 2019). Her work has recently appeared in Copper Nickel, Crazyhorse, December, Field, Glassworks, Miramar, Quiddity, and Sweet. She lives in Middleville, Michigan with her family.
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