~
caterpillar smoke
there she goes again
chasing that
damn rabbit
no one
ever tells her
to close
the fucking gate
or rake up
the dirt
and leaves
she just pulls up
the roots and poof
there she goes
you can see
the clouds
through
the hole
in the ground
she left behind
and watch her
parachute herself
down
i know
you’re wondering
about the mirror
but its
long gone
i’m still
sweeping up
the shards
that girl
never had
any sense
or a knack
for planning
she never learned
the first time
grace could have
saved her some time
but alas
how do you tell
a fourteen year old
to stop taking opiods
and redirect her
along her path
to the void
back then
we didn’t have
the language
just stardust and
mushroom powder
but if we could
have gotten
through to her
we would have
told her to
first look down
then look in
~
Seth Leeper is a queer poet. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in otoliths, Gertrude Press, Noisemaker Magazine, Xenith Magazine, and Mythic Circle. He holds an M.A. in Special Education from Pace University and B.A. in Creative Writing and Fashion Journalism from San Francisco State University.