My Sad Refrain by Mary Paulson

a hard nut split

inside me where

the spirit is sick

 

bad replicating thoughts

a bad birth mud

and shit rivulets black

 

gut pouring out the

tongue struck mouth

of a broken spigot

 

bad human

bad girl bad poet rotten

root, veiny

 

canals septic and so willful—

Say it! You’re ugly,

you’re fat, so dumb.

About the Poet:

Mary Paulson’s writing has appeared in multiple publications, most recently in Sparks of Calliope, The Pomegranate London, Vita Brevis’ ANTHOLOGY IV, Hare’s Paw, VAINE Magazine and Cathexis Northwest Press. She has poems forthcoming in The Gyroscope Review and Beyond Words Literary Magazine. Her debut chapbook, Paint the Window Open was published by Kelsay Publishing in 2021. She lives in Naples, Florida.