Katrina Kaye

i stayed up
too late

nursing wounds
that can’t be seen

the rising sun is sharp
in the window

beckoning

for two hours
i linger

hidden in bed frame
and cotton sheets

skin tight

too many exposed nerves
not enough backbone

i want to
stay pinned

butterfly to board
preserved in
my solemnity

it is too much
to ask

must i rise
again

“must i” is previously published in Rabbits for Luck (2016).