Undertow Tanka Review, Issue 7, September 2015

the x-rays
of my flattened breasts
pressed roses
these black petals etched
with traceries of white


the sweater
mother knit for me
a rainbow
fading at the edges
her evanescent life


when we were girls
there was an unspoken rule
avoid loitering males
why was I ashamed when
he exposed himself to me


dead houseflies
litter my windowsill
blind-sided
not even compound eyes
see the way out of here


gulls nesting
on the cottage roof
fallen feathers
sprouting from my boots
today, my feet have wings


Honourable Mention
Undertow Tanka Review First Tanka Contest, 2015