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Author: Pamela Kesling

  • Snakes

    Snakes

    My mother never liked snakes.Once, I saw her shoot two black snakes right out of a tree–they were writhingand weaving together in the branches,hanging entwined making love–but she was not fooling around. Another time,she emptied a pistol into onethat had the misfortuneof wandering through her yard–five shots out of six on target–and then she grabbed…

  • At the Edge

    At the Edge

    Once Mother left, Charlotte dragged her chair as close to the cliff’s edge as she could, then sat down again, readjusted her skirts, and closed her eyes. The sun did feel lovely. “The best treatment for consumption is sun and sea air,” Dr. Browning had said, and Mother quickly ordered a hansom to Brighton. Despite…

  • For the Rest of Our Lives

    For the Rest of Our Lives

    Christopher pulled the straps as tight as he could, then patted the canoe. “She feels pretty solid to me. You ready to go?” I nodded and took a deep breath. This was going to be the wildest trip we had ever taken. We hopped in the ancient Subaru. He grinned and gave me a quick…

  • The Peony

    The Peony

    One of my peonies has finally openedA preponderance of petalsAn explosion of perfumeSo brief and so generousI wish I could sitAnd spend the entirety of its bloomingAdmiring its beautyAnd shouldn’t we feel this wayAbout one anotherDelighting in each freckle, each curveAppreciating the small offeringOf a life, which is everything

  • Cosmic

    Cosmic

    Do not be afraid of yourself, love. Do not fear your being, your living, your breathing, the fervency of your idea, the quickness of your heart. Do not fear your fear, your sadness, your gladness. You are made of all the same wonderful bits as this earth. There is something of the universe in you–and…

  • To B, On Her Birthday

    To B, On Her Birthday

    On your birthday, my dear friend, I think of you, and sunshine– because the two are so entwined in my mind– you light up every room with your perma-smile, your energy bringing dull places to life. You carry light with you, golden curls bouncing, always a touch of bronze on your skin. And your heart,…

  • Sinking

    Sinking

    I close my eyes and lie back, float slowly down into a sea of you, your arms, your body wrapping around me like waves pulling me in, enveloping me in a quiet, peaceful death, like home, like comfort, weightless, silent but for a heartbeat. I sink into you until we can’t be told one from…

  • Why Does the Storm

    Why Does the Storm

    Why does the storm Always make me think Of you? Could you Roll through me Like the thunder, Saturate and flood me Like the rain? Maybe You have the power To give me life and Devastate me equally. Wouldn’t I love To have you Pouring down on me, Your hands and your lips Washing over…

  • Reincarnated, Reunited

    Reincarnated, Reunited

    Some connections reverberate softly across distance and space, wending through the ether to rejoin an unseen other. When we met, I recognized you bodily, viscerally, my atoms greeting yours with a happy wave and a welcome-back hug. Perhaps my blood and your bones were once the same patriofelis, succumbed to worms and distributed across the…

  • Refresh Me

    Refresh Me

    After a long journey, I am parched. I want to put my lips to yours and drink you greedily like cold spring water overflowing my mouth and running down my chin. I will pour you into my hair and bathe in you. Revived, I will rise naked and glistening from your arms.