Martha McCollough

December Evening at Big Y

the axle-bent
cart swerves,
stubborn, aiming
for anywhere
I don’t want to go
but I am more obstinate
yanking the handle
harsh as the harsh light
ecstatic song echoes
in the pet food aisle
heaven and nature sing
perfect companions
in the cart is my prisoner
tree, wrapped tight
in green mesh
outside: the grey rain

Written in Winter

traversing his endless palace the first emperor
never slept in the same room twice

for lack of space
I had to cry in the car

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Martha McCollough is the author of Wolf Hat Iron Shoes (Lily Poetry Review Books 2022) and the chapbook Grandmother Mountain (Blue Lyra 2019) . Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Pleiades, The Boiler, RadarPoetry, Bear Review, and Tampa Review, among others. Originally from Detroit, she lives in Amherst, MA.