In the terracotta urn,
you have severed
yourself,
flowerless,
patient in your
unchanged form.
Respond with me
to the coming light.
ELI SLOVER is a poet studying creative writing at Missouri State University. Their poems have appeared or are forthcoming in The Albion Review, Freshwater Literary Journal, Trouvaille Review, Yes Poetry, and elsewhere. They were a finalist in the 2021 MSU Student Poetry Competition. They serve as an assistant poetry editor for Moon City Review.
LAURIE MARSHALL is an award-winning writer and artist working in Northwest Arkansas. She’s a reader for Fractured Lit and Longleaf Review, and her words and art have been published in Emerge Literary Journal, Stanchion, Bending Genres, Twin Pies Literary, and Flash Frog, among others. Connect on Twitter @LaurieMMarshall. Buy her a chai latte on Venmo @LaurieMarshallCreative.