Weekly Write: “Kore” by Lizzie Waltner

Kore

She wears flowers.
Let’s them twist around her,
crown, ankles, wrists,
shackles. Daisies fold
in her mouth. Lilies
pulling against vocal cords.
She pretends they are heavy,
wants to sink. To let the river
Styx swallow her whole.

Sometimes, she feels more
at home when she’s drowning.
The sunlight burns her Spring
freckled cheeks – roses
aren’t supposed to wilt
in the Summer.

So, she lets herself Fall.
Be comforted in the tones
of wandering souls and
Cerberus’s howls. They are
symphony. She finds comfort
in the God that does not
pass judgement. The one that
merely watches from a throne
of ebony with the touch
of Winter.

 

Lizzie Waltner grew up in Rio Rancho, NM, attended ENMU for her BS in Journalism, and then completed her MA in Creative writing at Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK. She is now working as a teacher intern.

Weekly Write: “Glacial Affection” by Lizzie Waltner

Glacial Affection

Lizzie Waltner

I will give you frost bite when I kiss you,
leave snowflakes on lashes as I pull away,
I will help you understand the importance of hypothermia.

When the shaking stops
feelings have only just begun.

Your body will attempt to warm my heart
while I keep you embraced in cirques,
and form alpine glaciers with our bodies.

We’ll create sediment beneath us,
leave mountain peaks in our path.

We’ll flood valleys when the sun caresses
our skin before we’re ready to melt.

You will attempt to remove the winter
from my bones and replace it with summer.

This will cause irregular heartbeats
that damage my crystalline structure.

Eventually, we’ll find equilibrium:
my snowfall matching your melt.

We’ll feel timeless –

carve ourselves to the beach,
freeze the tide,
extend our grip above the ocean
and generate icefields.

We’ll enjoy the sunsets for a time,
‘til one of us shatters,
and breaks into iceberg.

My fingers will frost over
never close enough
to touch yours again.

Lizzie Waltner grew up in Rio Rancho, NM, attended ENMU for her BS in Journalism, and then has since moved to Wales, UK to complete her MA in Creative writing at Aberystwyth University.

 

 

 

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