by Kaitlyn Von Behren
a length of ashes
falling from a cigarette, but slowly.
Rosemary, whisper of eyelash, virginity
found. Another quiet woman drowned. No
rings of salt, please. Rings of sugar.
You’ll need the tiniest orchid’s petal,
onyx kept in pockets, secrets
inked in creamy public bathrooms.
Anoint with lavender, endless cryings.
Oh, the girls we’ve lost.
Kaitlyn Von Behren is studying English at Ripon College, where she serves as the editor in chief of Parallax. Her poems have been recognized by the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and Button Poetry and have appeared in publications such as Red Cedar Review, Wisconsin’s Best Emerging Poets 2019, and The Mochila Review, among others. She also had the honor of attending the Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop in 2017.