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This writing was accepted for publication in the 108 page perfect-bound ISSN# / ISBN# issue/book “a Stretch of Highway” Down in the Dirt, v179 (the January 2021 Issue) Order the paperback book:

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Before returning home to dress

Drew Nacht

She is standing in a runaway elevator
dropping like a stone-
her body seizes up with so much terror
she barely notices the lights going out-
eyes stay open, body still.
Before she hits bottom, a blue jay comes to mind,
she imagines she sees it
flapping away in the upper corner of the elevator
above the control panel.
She has the strongest urge to free the bird
but where, how?
At least I won’t die alone, she mumbles.

When she woke up she stripped off her clothes,
grabbed some bread and ran outside,
dropping bread crumbs all over the street
hoping a blue jay would be among the birds
taking advantage of her generosity.
To her dismay, no blue jays.
She then became acutely aware of being alive
and laughed uproariously.
She couldn’t remember her last unguarded, nakedly, joyous moment.
Her arms reached for the heavens
before she returned home to dress.

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