Five poems from Shoshauna Shy

What the Postcard Didn't Say - #20

Eddy’s wife is at Hospice
but after she goes
Eddy’s buying a yacht
and sailing to Alaska
I love you Helen
but can you spell
J-E-A-L-O-U-S ?

What the Postcard Didn't Say - #24

In the changing room
at my sister’s health club
my penknife left a slit
in every bathingsuit and bra cup
attached by a strap
to dry on the lockers
At my hotel that night
she called to tell me
how smart her coach:
He has a suspect

What the Postcard Didn't Say - #23

In the airport this morning
I realized
the only reason I love you
is because you love me
and after 20 years
that is not a good reason
to stay married to you
nor is it a good enough
reason to leave
I did fall in love once
but this is safer

What the Postcard Didn't Say - #10

I’m coming home a day early
so I can glimpse your breasts
under those pajamas of flannel
in the scant moments when
I chase Neighbor Bob
out through our bedroom window

What the Postcard Didn't Say - #34

The next time you declare
you hate your ‘fat’ thighs
I will somehow manage
to kill you
Those thighs of yours squat
jump sprint and climb
which is more than
my wheelchair can do

About the author

Shoshauna Shy's short fiction has been recently published by Ariel Chart International Literary Journal, Flash Fiction Magazine and New South Journal. One of her…

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Issue 22 · April 2015

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