portion of the artwork for Athena Nilssen's poetry

blackblue bird head with such alert eyes
Athena Nilssen

I’m as goofy as the orange shower curtain
in the alivelit bathroom at night
trying to write what you are
like I can do that.

Big black crows
killed you
took your head with them.

I’d like to think you have a SOUL
but you’re more like a lettuce stump
dead or not
some impression of good, of right
that potential
why I believe in god
in the horror of things they’re
only horrible because there must be
an opposite or why would I
feel so bad
god in eating shit, god in the headless bird
god in the laughing manbodied crows
sitting on the fence
your pawsized head in a mouth
eyes foggy not open I don’t
know, plastic tub of water, my bread
your last meal

Fat pigeon beauty waddled to me
I would hold you in a bath towel
won’t take away the shock pain
the cords and ribbons detached
your blood a map


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FRiGG: A Magazine of Fiction and Poetry | Issue 38 | Fall 2012