[ ] by Noreen Ocampo
Tortoise shatters underfoot
as I dart from the fable,
Father’s myths dead in my ears.
I chase myself in circles,
stumble blindly into soot
with steps foolish, unstable.
I morph into my worst fears,
and mirrors cackle, curdle.
The feet ask how many years
they must remain so purpled.
september 22nd, 2020Noreen Ocampo is a Filipina American writer studying English and film at Emory University. Her poems appear in perhappened, Crêpe & Penn, and Versification, among others, and she is also a regular contributor for Marías at Sampaguitas. Say hello on Twitter @maybenoreen!