Blighted pink and white blossoms spread like a fungus under the bay window. The stone wall, not yet mended, holds us on a slant. Our daughter snuggles her head on your lap. Our baby boy nestles in my arms. Beside us the crepe myrtle is free of the wasp nest the future holds. We smile, stupid with happiness. I place the photo face down. Slide it back in the drawer.
Roberta Beary identifies as gender-fluid, and writes to connect with other trauma survivors. Their prose poem “After You Self Medicate with Roethke’s The Waking Read by Text to Speech App” won 1st prize in the 2022 Bridport Prize. Their work appears in The New York Times, Rattle, MacQueen’s Quinterly, 100 Word Story, Litro Magazine, Atticus Review, and other publications. Their poetry collection, “The Unworn Necklace”, received a finalist award from Poetry Society of America. They are the haibun editor at Modern Haiku. Twitter: @shortpoemz. robertabeary.com.
The Centifictionist 
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