By Erika Seshadri

her eyes, pooled honey 
reflecting sunrise 
harboring instinct 
from a hundred generations 
preyed upon in the gaps 
between 

between dappled shade 
and flight 

between the corn harvest 
and dormancy 

between hunger  
and hubris 

between the eyes. 

she’s here for the  
bait apples 
(you sonofabitch), 
unbothered 
by your stench because 

of the innocence  
standing next to you, 
smelling not-yet-like-a-man 
with torn mittens,  
itching under camo and 
blaze orange 

the one who wraps  
his confession in a whisper: 
I don’t want to do this  


  
Caught in the Reeds by Sarah Kohrs

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Erika Seshadri lives on an animal rescue ranch in Florida with her family. When not caring for tame critters or feral children, she can be found writing.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Sarah E N Kohrs is an artist and writer, with over 100 journal publications of her poetry and photography. She is the 2022 Kingdoms in the Wild poetry award recipient for her chapbook, Chameleon Sky. Sarah has a teaching license, endorsed in Latin and Visual Arts, and homeschools, as well as works in her pottery studio, creating clay art to savor. SENK lives in Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, kindling hope amidst asperity. http://senkohrs.com.

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