First is the matter of the killing.
A deer is best done in the half-light.
You can whisper to it so it believes
that it’s safe, even if it isn’t.
When the sky turns molten and
you can’t feel your hands,
you’ll know that you’ve finished.
With the deer still painting your skin,
dig a hole in the ground, wide enough
for the entire forest.
Swallow the green and climb inside.
Mariel Fechik is a musician and writer from Chicago. She sings in the band Fay Ray and is a music writer for Atwood Magazine and Third Coast Review. She was recently chosen as a finalist for Rabbit Catastrophe Review‘s 2017 Real Good Poem Prize. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Crab Fat Magazine, Noble / Gas Qrtly, Sundog Lit, Glass, and others.
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