And My Screams Don't Wake Me
by Marcia Pradzinski
And My Screams Don't Wake Me
At night
my mind
bakes me
into lilies
that won't
blossom
trees that grow
chairs
melons festering
with maggots
thorned
pomegranates
birds with no
beaks
and dogs
without legs.
My voice
shrieking raw
I lie dazed
sprout cherry-red
fangs that pierce
my parchment skin.
Marcia Pradzinski
Marcia J. Pradzinski, an award-winning poet, lives in Skokie, Illinois. Her poems have been featured in print journals, anthologies, and online. Recent and forthcoming publications include The Pangolin Review, Redheaded Stepchild, Your Daily Poem, Clementine Unbound, and Ink In Thirds. Her first chapbook, Left Behind, was released by Finishing Line Press in 2015. She credits Plumb Line Poets, her cadre of fellow poets, for helping her stay productive and accountable. When not reading or writing, she enjoys water aerobics, qigong, walking, and going to movies.