27 May 2006 | Vol. 6, No. 1

Whee!

She's in lace-edged socks and holds a berry-picking

basket. A prudent voice like the weatherman:


better bring an umbrella. Better mind the skyline

during your long drive. She eats sugar by the handfuls


straight from the bag. She can only imagine cars

on the highway. Thinks they must glint like boats


on a blue harbor. She can only imagine boats

on a blue harbor. She doesn't drive. Can't fill out


her forms without me—Who is our emergency contact?

Where do we live now? Once she held a spatula


against the flame until it caught the curtains,

then her dress, then her flesh. What a mess


that was. I entertained the reaper as he waited at our

crumb-strewn table, bones around a coffee cup, for her


to burn down to a manageable puddle. I exaggerate.

But you're dripping wet! Did you forget your umbrella?

About the author:

Letitia Trent is currently doing graduate work in Columbus, Ohio. Her work is upcoming in Pinstripe Fedora.

For further reading:

Browse the contents of 42opus Vol. 6, No. 1, where "Whee!" ran on May 27, 2006. List other work with these same labels: poetry.

42opus is an online magazine of the literary arts.

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