The Key in the Letter
Your last invitation arrives,
in a woman’s script.
‘Thank you for giving him up,”
reads as a signature,
or a ransom note without names.
You demanded a burial,
but it was poorly done.
The door will no longer open,
the words will no longer sing.
No dust beings will follow.
Meg Smith is a writer, journalist, dancer and events producer living in Lowell, Mass.
Her poetry and fiction have appeared recently in The Cafe Review, Poetry Bay, The Horror Zine, Bewildering Stories, Dark Dossier, Raven Cage, and many more.
Recent anthology appearances include Atlantic Currents: Connecting Cork and Lowell, published by Loom Press.
She is a first-generation Irish-American, often inspired by her Irish and Boston-Irish culture, and travels to Ireland — as well as her travels to Europe, Egypt, Turkey, Puerto Rico and around the U.S.
She is the author of five poetry books. Her first short fiction collection, The Plague Confessor, is due out in fall 2020 from Emu Books. She welcomes visits to megsmithwriter.com.
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