Disquiet into Quiet

By Dawn Tefft

​ 

Small hands
             wearing paper claws

that comb through

 

Midwest cities, bullets,
              regimes that grow

in small moments

 

in between big moments
               and wouldn’t you know

I just got my stress

 

cut shoulder length
               chaos dancing on bone

well maintained

 

in the hours between
                oiseaux de malheur

alighting on brows
 

a respite I planned
                in need of both margin

and -alia

​

because I see best
                in the unspooling

that flowers