‘Connections’ by stephanie roberts

a sneeze is also a sign of arousal
– the devil’s foothold in a cold.

are you the answer to my dreams?
sunrise is a nightmare to the sunburned.

i feel like i have always loved you
– what a fool says.

close is our safest distance
– the medicine for silent indecency.

even when i lived next door,
i was never the girl next door.

i’ve fallen with my nose in the butter
– a lucky thing.

there is no mama bear chair in november;
inside is the only outside i can endure.

spell check changes hijab into human,
angringon to angry gringo – angling meal.

a gobble of turkeys watch the train
where I – like god – eat a turkey sandwich.

eagles fly high lazy loops of
what-looks-good-today?

cormorants race through the air as
furrowed brows.

men rule the world because women have
to keep brushing the hair out of our eyes.

i feel powerfully powerless once my hair
strokes my shoulders.

From issue #5: autumn/winter 2017

About the Author
Born in Central America, stephanie roberts resides in Québec, Canada. Her latest poetry collection is rushes from the river disappointment (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2020). Her poetry has appeared in Crannóg Magazine, Verse Daily, L’Éphémère Review, and The Poetry Annals. A 2018 Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, her work has recently been translated into Farsi.