not your fault son no orange
Addy Mahaffey
a shot sings / a rabbit sighs amen / a hunting dog barks
as dawn ruptures the horizon & a father bleeds
under an eastern red cedar a deer kneels in prayer
& a son runs through hallowed woods cradling
a fallen muzzle / a bleeding father / & a running son
under an eastern red cedar a bleeding father writes
a crimson receipt / a thermal grace / & a son’s salvation
not your fault son / no orange / not your fault
a son’s heart swallowing itself under the single safety vest
ablaze between them / the cold echo of a mourning dove
Addy Mahaffey is a writer and grants consultant who lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas with her cat. She holds a degree in English from the University of Arkansas. Her creative work has been published or is forthcoming in Third Coast, Screen Door Review, the tiny journal, and elsewhere.