It’s time for another round of Broadside Thirty, our showcase for poems in thirty lines or less by poets thirty or younger. Today, we present a new poem by Molly Dickinson.
The Melting Process
The scarabs are molting tonight. I am told it’s melting, but no,
I only see the molting shells like chicken feathers fallen away
at the end of the season. A new shell for a new weather. A new
shell for a new temperature. From now it’ll be cold, and these
bugs require reinforcement, these bugs require not to
hibernate, these bugs in fact say no, no long sleep, no long
hideaway. These bugs knocked on my door and asked for
blankets. These bugs knocked on my door and asked for socks.
These bugs will come to you, and you. When you open the
door you’ll feel my sorrow. Make them warm, please. These
are my sorrow bugs, these are my mournings.
Molly Dickinson grew up in Northern California and earned her B.A. in English at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. She continues to live and work in Portland, where she is the Director of the Writing Center at a local public high school.
Submissions to Broadside Thirty (poets under thirty years old may submit up to three poems, each under thirty lines) or any other categories on The Open Bar may be sent to theopenbar@tinhouse.com with the category name in the subject line.