wings – Cajun Mutt Press

screw icarus

I’ve always been a Master of Sabotage,
but only if it applies to myself.
The reasoning goes,
if I’m just going to be Icarus,
fuck the fall and burn the wings,
not caring until later
that I never learned
to fly.

Today. Yesterday. Last week…
I’ve been biting my tongue,
sitting on my hands,
and staring at the Sun
with matches in my pocket
and wings at my feet.
And I can’t allow myself
to move.

Because this time,
I want to taste those clouds
as the wind takes me higher.
I want to feel the heat
as I climb to just the right spot.
And I know I might end up
in the dirt, the sea or worse,
but first, I want
to fly!

So forgive my silence,
my stasis
and my temporary fear,
but I’m waiting for that moment
I can trust myself
to pick up my wings
and put the matches
down.

Chris Dean is a storyteller, spoken word artist and self-proclaimed Magpie Poet who writes from the heart of Indiana where they live with their husband, dog and too many cats to mention.

Their work has been featured by Cajun Mutt Press, Fevers of the Mind, Dumpster Fire Press and the upcoming Gal’s Guide Anthology. Their debut Book of poetry, Tales From a Broken Girl, was released in 2023 by Storeylines Press.

In The Fog

I envision the dissipated souls
stretched across the bay,
side by side, above and below
to form this heavy mist.
The emanating sounds bring me
scenes of buoys singing in the sway,
tugboats voicing arrivals,
flapping wings sculpted by wind.

Hints of light conjure a purée
of diamond soup being stirred
gently over a pot of steam.
More and more gems rise
to the surface,
shine with a brilliance only
muted fog can enhance.

As the soup stock simmers down,
brightness spreads upward
toward unpeopled park hills,
signaling to sounds they
no longer have to bear the onus
of stage props alone.

Evie Groch, Ed.D. is a Field Supervisor/Mentor for new administrators in Graduate Schools of Education. Her opinion pieces, humor, poems, short stories, recipes, word challenges, and other articles have been widely published in the New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Contra Costa Times, The Journal, Games Magazine, and many online venues. Many of her poems are in published anthologies. Her short stories, poems, and memoir pieces have won her recognition and awards. Her travelogues have been published online with Grand Circle Travel. The themes of travel, language, and immigration are special for her.

Tag: wings

Cajun Mutt Press Featured Writer 04/19/24

screw icarus

Cajun Mutt Press Featured Writer 11/24/21