swifts  &  s l o w s · a quarterly of crisscrossings

savor the silence
Cari Moll

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When the Artist Dies

When the artist dies,
the worth of their legacy does not.
It expands to fill the empty space
devoid of grief. The mob celebrates
as the earth holds the artist close.
Since I left, has my value grown
as the days continued?

Like a dragon and his hoard,
do you collect the eyelashes
from behind the mirror?
Or the last remnants of my voice
uncovered from the blanket background noises
of videos you have rediscovered?

Or do you savor the silence?

Perhaps,
I have outlived our space.

Pause .. Rewind

I have been looking for serenity in isolation.
No one can see me and that is freeing.

[Pause]
[Rewind]

No one can see me and that is terrifying.
But the consequences of my desires have caught up with me,
and the silence pushes into frozen skin
like the hands of a hungry child.

All I wanted was to live alone.

[Pause]
[Rewind]

All I wanted was to live.
Can I do so in solitude?
Without the eyes of someone to rely on?

[Pause]
[Rewind]

Without the eyes of someone to impress?

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Cari Moll is a poet, artist, and punk rock enthusiast.  They published their first chapbook titled Late Night Train Lights under their previous name with Ibbetson Street Press, and have since featured work with publications such as Dream Noir Magazine,  Cardinal Sins Journal, and Awakenings Magazine.