The flutter of paper thin eyelids,
butterflies ^
as
the dry rattle, the absence of a pulse.
^ ^
snake ,
She planted lilac and larkspur to dull the pain.
sage winecup ^ sun
eat
The prairie is as barren as dreams.
desert lush
EDITOR’S NOTE: This poem was selected from entries submitted to our Creative Challenge Series #13: First Sentences, which required that the first sentence in the text must be used as given. Or in this case, quite cleverly, perhaps not.