Amanda Forrester
I Fasted for the Flies
No one expected what the wolves would bring.
Houseflies hover, cover the bodies.
When the first kid dies,
to celebrate, they pound the beers.
Peeking out from the sheet
(names removed to protect the guilty)
Do you remember this trend?
It’d be great if you could
stop blaming the dead.
Which side are you on?
The difference
between the sun and a full moon:
one you can walk on,
the other you hide from.
I only want to hide,
not save the world
or even one person. not even me
There is no capturing
a tsunami in a thimble.
I should try a new look, they say.
There are eight things my eyes
are trying to tell me. Eight things
I am running from.
I am not interested in the cause
not anymore –
just the symptoms
and new eyeliner will fix that up.
Forget the past, try something new.
Upload your latest selfie.
Smile.
If only I learned to cry.
Poems by Amanda J. Forrester have appeared or are forthcoming Collective Unrest, the Sandhill Review, and the anthology We Will Not Be Silenced: The Lived Experience of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault Told Powerfully Through Poetry, Prose, Essay, and Art (Indie Blu[e] Publishing, 2018), edited by Christine E. Ray, Kindra M. Austin, Candice Louisa Daquin, and Rachel Finch. Forrester received her MFA from the University of Tampa. She serves on the executive board of YellowJacket Press and snuggles with her fur babies when she isn’t working long hours as a data analyst at Saint Leo University. Follow her on Twitter @ajforrester75.
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