Minimalist Gossip Magazine Cover (49).pdf (13) - Flipbook - Page 13
HITTING THE GROUND
by Leah Mueller
Plummeting through
the space between railings,
four stories to the basement,
headfirst, past an endless cluster
of steps: arranged in tight lines,
like indifferent soldiers.
I awaken before impact,
reluctant to face breakfast.
My vampire mother huddles
over coffee. Her cigarette
blazes overhead like a lantern.
I drown my oatmeal in warm milk
to make it stop quivering.
One morning, my body hits the ground.
The basement floor cups
the thin bones like a hammock.
I can’t help but smile, since
the fall didn’t kill me, after all.
Though I never have the dream again,
the rest of it will always be real.
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