Poetry by Amanda McLeod & Elisabeth Horan

            Tim Vrtiska CC



On the Idea That It’ll All Work Out
​
Empty words said to comfort someone
In the face of knowing. Because, deep down,
When we open our eyes and come to life-
Real life, not princesses in fairy castles-
It never looks like that.
God is a joker with a sick sense of humour
Dangles happiness like bait
And waits for you to
Bite.
And I want to bite. Bite
Back. Say… is this what you intended
Sir? That I might drive in my car...
While my son berates me… that I might
Fail at making my husband love me.
This. Isn't for pity. No. It's for grief. 
You know about it. Or maybe you don’t.
Sit back on high and watch us implode.
Peel our loves from us, one by one.
Look down with empty eyes,
Dispassionate about suffering.
This. Isn't war. But what isn't. 
Our Eden is gone forever,
And we struggle through the thorns
As best we can. 
Are we done, God?  Are we done...?





My Ode to a Woman I Love

I want to take your hand in mine
It's like a shell, the sound of the ocean
Millions of years, wrapped in the 
Loss of women. 
I kiss your cheek. For your aunt,
And grandmother, the way they
Went.
So impossible. So difficult to
Believe. 
I have one candle, it's in my mind-
I think of you, with love
And it ignites, pow
I imagine you… at the funeral
On the rooftop
The car, the stalled battery, the overdose
The bullying, the fb hell, why, oh goddamn
Why. The eating disorder, the way mum
Never told how dad left. Or how 
Grampa died.
I hold on to the idea that we could heal. 
What else is there.
What else do we exist for.
To give breaths to each other 
When imploding. To survive.

​

​Amanda McLeod writes and makes art in Australia. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in many places, both in print and online, and she is the Managing Editor of Animal Heart Press. When she's not writing, she's painting or looking for quiet places. Find her on Twitter @AmandaMWrites or on her website amandamcleodwrites.com

Elisabeth Horan is an imperfect creature from Vermont advocating for animals, children and those suffering alone and in pain - especially those ostracized by disability and mental illness. She is Editor-in-Chief at Animal Heart Press and has several chaps and collections coming out in 2019. She is a poetry mentor and proud momma to Peter and Thomas.
Follow her on Twitter @ehoranpoet or connect on her website ehoranpoet.com