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Abbie Doll

when will the well run dry

when     i     begin     to
m     e     d     i     t     a     t     e
working       my       way        d o w n
d o w n     d o w n      a    body    s c a n,
i   feel     a l l      the     t i n g l i n g,    a l l
the      i – must – be – a l i v e      sensations
u  n  t  i  l  .  .  .             i                 r  e  a  c  h
t   h   e         p  e  l  v  i  c         r  e  g  i  o  n,
a   //   brick   //   wall   //   blank   //   slate
where i struggle—struggle—s-t-r-u-g-g-l-e
to   produce   any   f e e l i n g   at    a l l
&      at     first,     i     a  s  s  u  m  e  d
it      must      be      a      result     of
unconscious        r e p r e s s i o n
&  m a y b e  that’s  true,  too,
but    now    i    w o n d e r
if my body’s a balloon,
& my spirit’s the air,
p  e  r  h  a  p  s
i ’ m
|
s
l
o
w
l
y
|
ooz-
ing
out
the
on-
ly
place
i

let
peo-
ple
in

|

 

About the writer:
Abbie Doll is a writer residing in Columbus, Ohio, with an MFA from Lindenwood University and is a fiction editor at Identity Theory. Her work has been featured or is forthcoming in Door Is a Jar Magazine, The Bitchin’ Kitsch, and Ellipsis Zine, among others.

Image:Buddha in Meditation by Thomas Nordwest (contemporary). Digital image. No technical information specified. 2023. By free license.

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