Use kite strings to rig up a pulley system
from here to the stars.
Attach a letter. Tug the line.
Write to the bereft of land, sea and space:
to dervishes who no longer spin,
sinkholes cramping with hunger,
to young endeavors,
and motherlessness.
If cosmonauts send back letters to children
explaining that they often think of their own daughters,
edit carefully before reading aloud.
Blame poor Russian translation.
Mime glugging from a bottle.
You must not say the words “starving” or “alone in the dark”
and under no circumstances are you to mention the worship services
that celebrate their sacrifice.
Encourage generic responses:
Hello Friend
Tell me about the speed of light
Do you know Aurora Borealis?
What is she like?
Sign Best or Regards
Use Love with extreme caution
Shannon Quinn lives in Toronto. Her work has appeared in The Literary Review of Canada, Etchings, Maisonneuve, Existere, Subterrain and here in Halfway Down the Stairs.
© 2013, Shannon Quinn
Halfway Down the Stairs 