by E. F. Schraeder
A dream of new beginnings marks
the calendar, but a blank schedule
opens the day like a cracked foul egg
leaking fluid into lifeless oblivion
another week of dread
and avoidance begins
ripe with unapologetic regret
while the sun shines on and on
spreads its optimism into the busy
world around me
people move on, get up
go to work
but the clamoring emptiness
pounds in my ears like a dirge
as a child for two weeks I couldn’t eat
without vomiting after
then I learned how to ignore,
to bounce back
E. F. Schraeder's creative work has appeared in On the Issues, Haz Mat Review, New Verse News, Blue Collar Review, Kicked Out, and elsewhere. She currently lives in the midwest and hopes for the best, sometimes despite reason.
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