Abigail Swoboda's poem, "Overpass," was selected by Short Édition in partnership with Temple University. Abigail Swoboda graduated from Temple with degrees in French and English. They have continued their studies at Temple and expect to graduate with their M.A. in English in 2021.

In our dreams, we've started
seeing the phantoms planted
beneath our floorboards—

and we fear that there is no door that is always open for us.

It took too long to realize
the tenderness of ice cubes
in our tomato soup

and that each sound is a sentence.

And when we wake up, the house is full of smoke
from fires burning somewhere else, but
all we can do is close the windows
and take out the trash.

© Short Édition - All Rights Reserved

14

You might also like…

Poetry

Venom

Allison Midgett

How does one god kill another? I contemplate this as I sit perched on my web, tucked beneath the shadow of the birdbath. He makes his rounds, scrupulously inspecting each row of tulips before moving ...  [+]

Poetry

She Don't Fade

Die Booth

There's a ghost in my house. I hear her singing.
A little girl. Why is it always a little girl?
The light through the window is barely enough to see by, but the sky outside is very pale. Clouds ...  [+]

Poetry