by Grace Rabi
Re-
A pre-fix
As in
Re-birth
And a new hurt
Without death
No re-incarnation
No re-creation
without expiration
Can I activate
When I re-generate
A new version of me
A re-
That’s not re-created
Not merely re-cycled
Something re-lated
Not just a re-vival
That’s outdated
A re-newal
And a clean slate
A new course
A new fate
Or are we doomed to re-peat
A sampled tune
Same beat
No re-remix of this pre-fix
Re- is me
again and again
A new what and a new when
But the whys and the whos still re-main
A few different verses
same re-frain
Can’t make a comeback on a throwback
Can’t make a bounce-back on a backtrack
Re-live is what we crave
When re-minded of the grave
Omit the re-
This life’s not done
This moment now
There’s only one.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace Rabi (she/her) is a teacher of English and has been so for fifteen years. Travelling is her favourite pastime, having visited over twenty-five countries with her husband. She enjoys writing, particularly poetry and flash fiction. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and enjoys watching a variety of film genres. Grace has also been teaching herself guitar and banjo. She was raised in Canada but currently resides in Ireland.