"Subdivision"
Shredding our shirts into rags and our rags into stuffing
we build our dolls or build our nests or build our worlds
what property does or doesn't do so many fragments
so many children so many feet caught in the tracks
despite the warnings despite the sky crying out its own name
despite the chirping despite the sound of tears
the search for meaning in the blurred photo
the drawing in crayon that says me and you
and the birds flying in reverse or is it upside down
and the approach of Halloween and another stunted season's
about to begin spiraling into the ground
the little one just reaching out for a reassuring hand
as we cross the blasted street to where we have no idea
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Author Bio: Jeff Sirkin grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and he is the author of the poetry collection Travelers Aid Society (2016). His work has appeared in Mandorla; Forklift, Ohio; Puerto del Sol, the Volta and elsewhere. Co-editor of the online poetry journal A DOZEN NOTHING, he currently teaches in the Creative Writing Department at the University of Texas, El Paso, where he also co-curates the Dishonest Mailman Reading Series.