by Maggie Rue Hess
after Layli Long Soldier
elated
to be & finally
washed changing hopeful
[smooth and displaced] [with anger] [like stones in a riverbed]
I am I should be I was
not in
mourning
::
Maggie Rue Hess (she/her) is a PhD student living in Knoxville, Tennessee, with her partner and their two crusty white dogs. Her work has appeared in Rattle, Connecticut River Review, SWWIM, and other publications; her debut chapbook, The Bones That Map Us, was published by Belle Point Press in February 2024. She likes to share baked goods with friends and can be found on Instagram as @maggierue_.
Image: Aaron Burden
ID: stones near a body of water.
Psaltery & Lyre 