"Side Door" by Michelle McElroy
Equinoxville by Amorak Huey
She says, An earthquake is coming.
She says, Listen to the body, it tells you.
Seasons pulse in the skin,
we slide from one strange weather
to the next; wake in a strange city,
lost, alive, electric. Time melts.
Throw open a window, breathe in
each other. The ground swims
with why-shaped petals. The world
is new. Is not new but feels new,
her left hand on my cheek. She says, This,
like this. We are unbalanced. Dizzy. Falling.
First tremors. Then grief. Then the splitting earth.
She says, Listen to the body, it tells you.
Seasons pulse in the skin,
we slide from one strange weather
to the next; wake in a strange city,
lost, alive, electric. Time melts.
Throw open a window, breathe in
each other. The ground swims
with why-shaped petals. The world
is new. Is not new but feels new,
her left hand on my cheek. She says, This,
like this. We are unbalanced. Dizzy. Falling.
First tremors. Then grief. Then the splitting earth.
Amorak Huey’s fourth book of poems is Dad Jokes from Late in the Patriarchy (Sundress Publications, 2021). Co-author with W. Todd Kaneko of the textbook Poetry: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology (Bloomsbury, 2018) and the chapbook Slash/Slash (Diode, 2021), Huey teaches writing at Grand Valley State University in Michigan.
Michelle McElroy is a native New Englander who studied painting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has worked at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Skinner Auction House and Historic New England. Interested by how light and shadow can transform everyday scenes are constant inspiration. These are images that she may see on early morning runs, midnight snacks in the kitchen or simple observations of everyday scenes that people can connect with or create a narrative of their own. Michelle’s work has been accepted into various juried shows in galleries around the United States and actively shows at local venues, such as libraries and cafes. She is a member of the Cambridge Art Association, Edward Hopper House, and Center for the Arts in New London, New Hampshire. Michelle lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two cats. Instagram: @michellemcelroyart Website: michellemcelroy.com
