Shadows

Shadows loom like old friends

weighty, hidden to everyone

but me, casting stones that tumble

in my chest, blister my ribcage,

emerge only when visitors come

to see if I’m still here, as if I’m

a chore to check off their to-do’s

after the grocery store or paying bills

Erin Jamieson

(she/her) holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Miami University of Ohio. Her writing has been published in over eighty literary magazines, and her fiction has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She is the author of a poetry collection (Clothesline, NiftyLit, Feb 2023).

Twitter: @erin_simmer