by Kristen Zory King

It's #tbt! Enjoy this great one from SWWIM Every Day's archives!

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Every time my brother calls stoned
he tells me he doesn’t believe
in God. I know, I say. What else is there?

I list all the things I know for sure,
like a kind of centipede that can see
an entire spectrum of purple

we could never imagine. Or, an oak tree
older than things like math or music.
I keep going, though I know he is not listening.

Some frogs bark, the sound louder
than a pack of dogs. You can hear them
best each May. Brother, don’t you remember

spring always comes late?

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Kristen Zory King is a writer, teaching artist, and yoga instructor based in Washington, DC. Recent work can be found in Electric Lit, The Citron Review, Mason Jar Press’s The Jarnal: Volume Two, Stanchion, and mac(ro)mic, among others. She is currently at work on a collection of flash fiction stories, among other projects. Learn more at kristenzoryking.com.

by Kristen Zory King

Every time my brother calls stoned
he tells me he doesn’t believe
in God. I know, I say. What else is there?

I list all the things I know for sure, 
like a kind of centipede that can see
an entire spectrum of purple

we could never imagine. Or, an oak tree
older than things like math or music.
I keep going, though I know he is not listening.

Some frogs bark, the sound louder
than a pack of dogs. You can hear them
best each May. Brother, don’t you remember

spring always comes late?  

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Kristen Zory King is a queer writer based in Washington, DC. She is founder of MoonLit, an organization that strives to creatively connect community through low-cost arts-based programming. Some of her previously published work can be found in Cactus Heart Press, Poetry Breakfast, and Lipstick Party Magazine. For more information, please visit kristenzoryking.com.