‘While playing HQ, there is a vigil held across town’ by Chloe N. Clark

Hey HQties, the host says
and he is always cheerful

but earlier in the week, a woman
was killed going about her normal

routine: the mornings she always
kept for herself, just the sun

What is the sun doing?
collapsing
expanding
becoming a black hole that will devour us all

Most mornings I wake up and text
someone I love, say good morning,

ask how they slept
and I wonder if she did this too

If her habits were built on how
much she wanted to reach out

What chemical is associated with love?
adrenaline
oxytocin
alcohol

There are facts that women learn
early: keep one earbud out

don’t walk the same route
everyday, be aware of

everything, all the time,
hold it in you until

you get dizzy with how
much might harm you

How many women are killed on average in the US each year?
none
who cares
1000

Savage Question! flashes on the screen
as so many guess the wrong answer

Across town, they light candles
for the woman, stay silent

for a minute
a minute is enough

time for everyone
to forget

From issue #9: autumn/winter 2019

About the Author
Chloe N. Clark holds an MFA in Creative Writing & Environment. Her work appears in Bombay Gin, Drunken Boat, Glass, Hobart and more. She is co-EIC of Cotton Xenomorph and her chapbook, The Science of Unvanishing Objects, is out from Finishing Line Press.