we own
by Maia Elgin
we own
the rust-stained sink in the office
the wood-ring wall and
magic marker on the blinds
we own the splintered tree house
and the yard that turns
to mud in the Delta spring
we own it but when we fuck
the house knocks back
we own the glitter
and rubber bands
between the floorboards
we own the dead girl’s giggle
we own that
hungry something
in these gusts
perfume like smoke
like sulfur seeping
yes we own
the cellar’s earthen floor
Maia Elgin
Maia Elgin lives in the Mississippi Delta with her two cats, dog, and person. She has a chapbook, The Jennifer, with Birds of Lace and two poems in Rhythm & Bone's YANYR anthology. Her work has also been seen in Dark Marrow, Tarpaulin Sky, Ghost Town, Indigest, and Glitter Pony and is forthcoming in Cordella Magazine. With an MFA from LSU, Maia is an Assistant Professor at Delta State University.