BEGGING FOR LIGHT.

Do you think they covered up Ryland being forced into space until later when nations are inevitably at war and Stratt is on trial and things come up? Do you think there are audio recordings of Grace begging for his life and his need to stay with the kids that resurface later on? Do you think those kids, now teens or adults, hear those and realize he was just as scared as they were?

I want to eat your sparrow, come here. I want to lick your sparrow claws come here. I want to cut your sorrows out you’re hollowed out. Come here. I want to suck your fingers off. Come here. I want to give you your history back. Your fingers back. I want to tell you yes. Come back. I want to show you my pressure, my heavy, my opened and clothes, my under and o’s. Come here. I want to finger your bones back. I want to sew your bones back I want to re-blood your history. I want to undo you like a mystery novel. Is this the kitchen? The table-saw? Is this your memory? Your tree-dream? You’re declawed. I want to give you your teeth back. Your teeth marks. I want to spit back your teeth-pull. I want to unhinge your heart-jaws. Come here. I want to sit you down on the bed and give you back my years. Here. I breathed your name into the leaves. Here. I breathed you back into the trees. Here. This is your tree-dream this is your tree-house, this is a bedroom, this is a silver broom this is a shallow dream. This is my tree-dirt, my bee shirt. This is my honey-stalk and these are your climbing shoes. Harmonica me to sleep again. Put your sparrow on my back skin. -Kallie Falandays, "I Want To Tell You Yes"

The submission deadline has been EXTENDED to January 31st, 2020! Spread the word and send in your work!