history for worms

history for worms. 

The woods of our home were once honeycombed,  
pockets carved by hyenas scrounging for yesterday. 

I might have buried the yellow-bellied dolphin, 
his matted cerulean cradling tears for safekeeping; 
If a child pulls him from the loam and picks away each mote, 
he could have enough strength left for her feelings too.  

Earth harbors stories in her belly like this: 

A wooden bird, leveled wings perfectly postured  
save for a cavernous split down one side, flight hindered; 
or muted lavender, stripped from the hem of her mother's efforts, 
a secret tucked beneath haphazard stitches — 

We are tethered to eternal Things, memories flitting on the surface,
the child’s cheek pressed to the dry earth in search 
of that telling glint of a glass bead,
scraps of ribbon and broken jacks, mundane fossils for romantics.  

We are history for worms  
scattered in tumuli for a metallic someone 

I am the yellow-bellied dolphin lost 
somewhere between St. Louis and now
who waits for the girl of the future. 

Rebecca Bell (she/her) is a queer writer based in Southeast Missouri, U.S.A. Her whimsical short story "Lava Games'' was included in the Journey: Literary Magazine in 2017, and won an award for fiction that same year. More recently, her poem "kepler-186f" appeared in Savant-Garde's fourth issue, and her poem "the highlight reel is filled with you" will appear in the upcoming issue of Superfroot. You can find her and her additional projects on Twitter @belkastle.

Artwork by Noor Althehli