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by Sage Ravenwood

Camille Brodard

All the ways we hurt The 1AM me wandered In the bone deep cold Feeling the weight of added scars I tell myself it’s life Emotional payment for living Unliquidated IOU’s for surviving Asigna demands it’s due Rendered in pieces of mind I stood among saplings stark Against an indigo sky Falling to my knees Hands snow coffined Seeking buried spirits Comfort crow or raven Fallen from the sky in this crevice Let nature take this burden Feel the earth groaning Roots unfurling It’s a settled place We are not meant to be bowed Our hearts rib caged animals How frail humanity Without her woods Close the doors Keep the wild from harm

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Sage Ravenwood is a deaf Cherokee woman residing in upstate NY with her two rescue dogs, Bjarki and Yazhi, and her one-eyed cat Max. She is an outspoken advocate against animal cruelty and domestic violence. Her work can be found in Glass Poetry — Poets Resist, The Temz Review, Contrary, 433 Magazine, perhappened, and Sundress Press anthology — The Familiar Wild: On Dogs and Poetry.