Ingest the dead. Be greedy.
Eat memories whole, hold
letters and photographs in the mouth,
wet well for the long slide toward your stomach.
Ask for nourishment.
If they refuse, push toward the heart
and allow the dead into the chambers,
where they will weigh you down without bodies.
Sing them into your throat for inspiration.
Catch a breath.
Wail.
–
Avery Kerr began life in the Midwest. As a young adult, she migrated to New Mexico. Her thirty-year teaching career includes co-founding and directing Santa Fe Secondary School. Avery is the creator and editor of two collections of student writing and the co-author of a Latin textbook. Now she lives in San Diego, where she enjoys swimming, reading, and leading an adult writing workshop.