SWWIM sustains and celebrates women poets by connecting creatives across generations and by curating a living archive of contemporary poetry, while solidifying Miami as a nexus for the literary arts.
The first time, teeth grind. My knees are on holly leaves, scream to the God: I will breathe life into his dust even if it means to scratch and peel the layers of my forearm like onion skins. I gnaw my raw lip. I only stop when we drive away. The next time, I carry crosses with my mother and listen to repeated winds of passing cars on the highway & the crush of pinecones on the shoulder. We bear with the whizz of screws into the crosses pressed to the pine bark and the choked-up mutters of the Our Father. The most recent time, I watch the sunset while fingers freeze. My lips taste lukewarm watery hot chocolate. I pray even when God never fills the chasm in my sternum. I place my hand on the pine’s bark. I breathe exhaust fumes like fresh air.
Nicole Markert is a Senior English Writing and Literature major at Eastern University in St. David’s Pennsylvania, although, she originally hails from New Jersey. She is the Editor-in-Chief for Eastern’s literary magazine, Inklings, as well as the Managing Editor for the student-led newspaper, The Waltonian. You can find some of her other work at nicolemarkert.com.
