The older I get, the more orphan
I become. Insomnia has taught me I’m nothing
but a body. I wear my motherhood
drenched in rumors of dark. Each ghost
is a little less accurate than the last. If you ask
me if the self is broken, I will tell you
this is not a eulogy; I am the missing
sister. No one survives me. I am
the curator of your artifact grief.
Christina Veladota has appeared in many literary journals, including Glass: A Journal of Poetry, The Laurel Review, The Journal, Bellingham Review, Dialogist, Hotel Amerika, and Mid-American Review. The author of two chapbooks, Clutch & Brood (Aldrich Press, 2016) and The Girl & Her Lions (Finishing Line Press, 2010), I am a recipient of a 2020 Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council. Twitter: @cveladota