dream of being

dream of being the one that got away
with murder, scream blue
dream of a funeral

but it turned out to be mine—
two loves criss-crossed
my heart and I hoped to die

needling my way back to the sky
no hand around an ankle,
no goodbye

fever

lachrymose, earthsick
perspire, co-conspire

“life’s the same, I’m
moving in [delirium]”

pyro-song overhead
from this side of the veil

I’ve found the place where
the Philadelphia fireflies go

the old jelly jar in his chest,
a backyard, if you’d believe it and

a love that can’t even make it
up the stairs

Rebecca Kokitus is a poet residing in the Philadelphia area. She is the author of three poetry collections: Seasonal Affected, (APEP Publications) Blue Bucolic, (Thirty West Publishing House), and Saccharine (forthcoming from Bone & Ink Press). She has had poetry and prose published in various journals and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2018. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @rxbxcca_anna.

Banner Image: “Haunted Effigies” by Robert Frede Kenter. Tweets at @frede_kenter