Surprise

Last night I recited some poems to my cat to practice for my big reading and this morning she left a rabbit head beside my sandals, saying, So, we’re even now. Later in the morning, I weeded the garden and discovered a color gamut of vegetables and a crepe myrtle, only to stumble on a Belgian statue of some guy pissing all over them. I love the long beard of fronds on this palm tree growing outside my afternoon. I sit and watch the sun roll over my pink-painted toes, knees held in curves of my elbows.

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When Ilari isn't writing poetry or short stories, she recites Ayahs (verses) from the Quran, travels with her family, plays hide-and-go-seek, blows bubbles, and chases fireflies with her four-year-old grandson. A two-time nominee for the Best of the Net Anthology and other accolades, you can find her Greatest Hits in Pithead Chapel, Door is A Jar, Glass: A Journal of Poetry, The Indianapolis Review, The Write Launch, and others.