Gretchen Gales
Gretchen once wanted to be a veterinarian, Shania Twain, and a writer all at once. She has since settled down with writing a variety of content and is currently the executive editor of Quail Bell Magazine, Gretchen’s written work has appeared in Ms., Next Avenue, Bustle, and more. See more of her work at www.writinggales.com.
Projection
I am a bomb/ just wait/ Someday I will pour my shrapnel into everyone around me/ with my
pent-up gunpowder/ he insists to me/ in geometry/ After his prediction/ he tells me the story of
his uncle and the bathtub he used to ride down the staircase/ after forgetting to take his
medication/ how he fears/ the inanimate objects/ he will ride into battle when his brain betrays/
him
It’s too late for him/ I am tectonic/ I shift, not spark/ nor stir/ nor spin/ into a spectacle/ of chaos
without warning/ and while I once moved continents for him/ he did not see me/ rearrange them
back to my liking/ all without/ disturbing his world
Sheila-Na-Gig online 