Dear Dylan Thomas’s Father,

Katrina Kaye

I get it.
The raging—
                it’s exhausting.

At some point,
you just have to call it a day.
Leave the living
to the young,             to the ambitious
to those who have not yet asked
                “is this all there is?”

At some point, as enchanting
as the sun sets and rises,
the predictable actions
of turning days are not enough
to entice a rewatch.

When desire has desiccated,
when the cat’s purr no longer
creates the curve of a smile,
when all the music and magic and poetry
and rage— Yes, once the rage is gone,

the dying light becomes more
comfort than adversary.

At some point, unbeknownst to you,
you felt the most joy you ever would.

That most perfect day was a     
forgotten afternoon in your
thirties that you don’t remember
because you were having too
much fun to write it down
and forgetfulness is much           
crueler these days.

Don’t let some kid,
even your own,
who has trouble dealing
with his own grief
keep you plugged in.

No, old man,
if that light is fading
and the closing music is playing
then do go,

gently,

because a kind departure
at old age is a gift few of us
have the privilege to receive.

Better Option

Katrina Kaye

I’ve been too gentle with the removal
of dust and filth and discoloration.

Water doesn’t cleanse the way it used to.
The dirt remains and darkens into stain.

Water is not enough.
Fire may be the better option.

Instead of attempting to scrub my soul
of its various colors, it may be better to

burn it to ash, turn the solid to smoke,
and when all that is left is scorched and brittle,

the wind can aid in the
scattering of what remains.

Empty

Katrina Kaye

There is a crack inside me

impossible to see         with the naked eye
because it is covered               with flesh and bone,

muscle and vein,

but underneath
all the intricacies         that have made up
this form there is         a vacant space,

a hollow.

There was a time                     I rushed to fill it
to store
people and places        and simple memories.

There was a time         when the emptiness terrified me.

People should not have                       holes.
Are we not made

            of solid stuff?

But I have made peace           with the void within.

I am no longer             afraid of the echo
of my voice.
I no longer                   seek to be filled.

Instead I sit quiet        and cross legged

feeling the shelter

that comes

from nothingness.

Within that hollow,

I can allow      my eyes           to close

and my pulse                           to slow.
I can breathe deep and be;

exist,                continue.

I can find                                peace.
I am not

limited by                    my body

or the emptiness it holds.

“Empty” is previously published in Metonym Journal (2024).