Ann E. Wallace’s debut poetry collection, Counting by Sevens, was published by Main Street Rag in 2019. Recently published pieces in journals such as Wordgathering, Mom Egg Review, Snapdragon, and Riggwelter can be found on her website, AnnWallacePhD.com. She lives in Jersey City, NJ, and is on Twitter: @annwlace409.
April Storms
These thirty days have been
without respite from storm and
cyclone, as darkness descended,
burrowed, and built a nest,
each day hatching
sadder than the one before,
quiet notes building crescendo
into a cacophony of despair
peaking three days to the end
as I neared collapse, long
after the worst had appeared
and was surpassed.
Battered into a weary mess,
I rose one last time, to feel a light
breeze spark the growth of new
skin upon my brittle frame.
Clementine Unbound 