Mona Arshi

something scrambled out of me at least I thought it was out of me it could have been into me very fast very sly dirty breath’d assassin spiders ants                earthworms I witnessed being dissected by my brothers and crane flies I tried but never managed to capture whole   such fey stupid wings and legs left drifting on walls mostly I was a witness mostly I’ve kept out of  the way with my hood zipped up to my chin what is the surest thing we know? that as we grow older we think less of killing things and more of coming back who knows where we acquire our knowledge from our mothers   aunts perhaps they pass it on like a candle through an ancient pockmarked door something parenthetic like a clasp broken     useless as a rotten wick a spider climbing the sublime coast of  your shoulders walking through those rooms again a web breaking on the back of  your hand

all you have to do is show yourself in case you hear us we are so small and fenceless in the shade throw us a hook when you can touch the scribbled child in the inferno all you have to do is show yourself a little pin your dark olive green parts against the boulder