It was the year of the broken heart, of voluptuous
panic, the year I worked in the convalescent wing
of the hospital. They were sick, some of them,
and others, members of a happiness cult.
I was jealous of their childhoods, so many
arguments populating their cells. My husband
at the time said If you’re leaving me do it fast,
like a Band-Aid. I made a list of items
I wanted to borrow from God. I had the illusion
of nobility, the notion i didn't need to dig
my heels in to succeed. Breaking up is never
easy, like a cut or a piñata pulling
you down.
Kate Lutzner's poetry and stories have appeared in such journals as Antioch Review, Mississippi Review, The Brooklyn Rail, BlazeVOX, Rattle and Barrow Street. Kate holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MFA from City College and has been featured in Verse Daily. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize as well as the Best of the Net Anthology.: Spring Quarterly - Urban (May 2014 / 14.10)
panic, the year I worked in the convalescent wing
of the hospital. They were sick, some of them,
and others, members of a happiness cult.
I was jealous of their childhoods, so many
arguments populating their cells. My husband
at the time said If you’re leaving me do it fast,
like a Band-Aid. I made a list of items
I wanted to borrow from God. I had the illusion
of nobility, the notion i didn't need to dig
my heels in to succeed. Breaking up is never
easy, like a cut or a piñata pulling
you down.
Kate Lutzner's poetry and stories have appeared in such journals as Antioch Review, Mississippi Review, The Brooklyn Rail, BlazeVOX, Rattle and Barrow Street. Kate holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MFA from City College and has been featured in Verse Daily. She has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize as well as the Best of the Net Anthology.: Spring Quarterly - Urban (May 2014 / 14.10)