By ride’s end, the butterflies are plastered
two-deep, water-glued to the windshield,
the wheels, the hood—we peel off a few
by the wings, but they only swing in the wind
so we leave them and in the stories we tell
it’s a parade float in blossom
a blimp stuck with feathers
a Gaudi mosaic
a misplaced piñata
a country fair quilt
a child’s letter to God with
a hundred fluttering stamps
by Holly Painter
Holly Painter is a poet, writer, and editor from southeast Michigan. Her first full-length book of poetry, Excerpts from a Natural History, was published by Titus Books in Auckland, New Zealand in 2015. Her poetry, fiction, and essays have also been published in literary journals and anthologies in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Singapore. Holly lives with her wife and son in Vermont, where she teaches writing and literature at the University of Vermont.
Appears In
Cagibi Issue 3
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