Tuesday poem #417 : Jennifer Falkner : Persepolis

 

 

wash your face before dawn
with water poured
in your palm from a plastic bottle 

let the sun drink from your face
as it climbs the sky
grant it this small release from thirst 

so when its heat turns cruel at noon
and flays every crawling thing,
it will remember you 

and grant you the kindness
of shade

 

 

Jennifer Falkner (she/her) is an award-winning short story writer living in Ottawa, Canada, on the traditional unceded territory of the Anishinaabe people. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, in Canada and internationally. Her forthcoming novella (Susanna Hall, Her Book) will be published in 2022 by Fish Gotta Swim Editions.

the Tuesday poem is curated by rob mclennan