neck of a swan

they thanked the divinity for the right to have it

they got all the feelings out. gave the scraps to the cats and dog

life was the neck of a swan

they went for a long walk to who knows where

the great beyond out there

#katyamills

mouse.child.swan

the mouse was hidden in the belly of a swan. the swan found some cheese someone left by a bench overlooking the pond, and though the swan did not care for dairy, ate the cheese anyway, hoping to feed the mouse something it liked. the mouse covered his face with his paws, so his whiskers would not tickle the swan. a child saw the swan and began to shout. the swan swam over to present itself to the child and untucked its wings gently, so as not to disturb the mouse in its belly. the mouse could sense the presence of the child, and uncovered his whiskers for a moment. the swan got tickled and flapped its wings, causing the surface of the pond to ripple and stir. the child cried out and jumped with joy. the swan got scared when it saw the commotion in its reflection, and began to rise out of the water with exceptional strength. an old lady walking along the path began to smile for the first time this day. the sun saw the old lady’s smile and brightened up the world. the child yelled out at the top of his lungs. the mouse began to squeak, as it tried to keep its footing, and something dislodged from above and fell right beside him. he happily spent the remainder of the day in total darkness, floating out upon the pond, nibbling on the cheese. the old lady was home listening to the radio, sipping cognac. the boy was a mile away, lying on his belly, drawing pictures of the tv.

murder. in the park

The oil pure olive
swans there were seven
a mountain inverted
erased from the sky

an brownout electric
fashion show in the dark
the sound of high heels
a girl in the park

they might find her body
wrapped up in a vine
her starbucks
cold brown paper cuff
on the ground

the oil
pure olive
no breath and no
sound

the swans glide in sevens
across the old duck pond
beleagured the webbing
half mast with the flag

a shadowy figure
amorphous at best
inverts like a mountain
erased with the
sun

from the sky
having set
in the west