the cats don’t care
if the rent goes up next year
right now the back door’s open
we tumble out
the sunlight’s merciless
mere buds on the branches
no feathers in the shade
the blue jay blares
succulents peep green
from puddingstone
I lay a blanket down
cold filters from the ground
my head, hurting in the glare
my head, too open to the air
Frances Donovan (she/they) is the author of Arboretum in a Jar (Lily Poetry Review Books, 2023). Her chapbook Mad Quick Hand of the Seashore was a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award. A recipient of a Mass Cultural Council grant, Donovan’s poems have appeared in Lily Poetry Review, Solstice, Heavy Feather Review, SWWIM, and elsewhere. Their interviews of other poets can be found at The Rumpus and on her website, www.gardenofwords.com. Donovan holds an MFA in poetry from Lesley University and is a certified Poet Educator with Mass Poetry.
