by Amy Baskin

There is as much of a chance that the world will end today as there
ever has been and god knows that Shiva's wheel of destruction is
spinning full bore right now.

But that doesn't stop the six ladies at the next table from holding
their two-hour knitting circle this morning at this cafe, rain or
shine.

All threats and possible endings and Armageddon aside, they actually
called in to book the largest table in the coffee house in advance.

This is the bravest act I am aware of today. They have their steady
gig, their weekly commitment to attendance.

This is how to give zero fucks. Readers sliding down the bridges of
each nose. The occasional smart-ass crack, the furious clack of
needles, the skeins of brightly dyed wool.

When one falls and rolls across the floor, another calmly leans
down to pick up.

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Amy Baskin's work is currently featured in Bear Review, River Heron Review, and is forthcoming in Pirene's Fountain. She is a 2019 Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee, a 2019 Oregon Literary Arts Fellow, and a 2019 Oregon Poetry Association prize winner. When not writing, she matches international students at Lewis & Clark College with local resident volunteers to help them feel welcome and connected with the greater community.