after Weldon Kees
The housewife leaving the house, now husbands her own resources.
While the spelling bee finalist, losing, finds leaving the stage a relief.
The nun and the arsonist agree to stop lighting candles.
The magician’s assistant, after sewing herself back together, plays
hearts with her son and considers medical coding. A few letters
exchanged and the magician becomes a musician. She agrees the
saw sounds beautiful, but she isn’t coming back.
–
Paula Reed Nancarrow is a Minnesota poet and winner of the Winter 2020 Sixfold Poetry Prize. Recent poems have appeared in Nixes Mate, Tilted House, Plainsongs, and The Southern Review.
© 2023, Paula Reed Nancarrow
Halfway Down the Stairs 