“I have suffered the atrocity of sunsets.” Elm by Sylvia Plath
dark bark the painted bole of me fifty-eight years of transected concentric rings a ravel of ravenous things sap-scarred tar-patched mole-stuck thumb-punched pollarded from crown to ground my regrowth is diligent and broad I carry the curled fetus of myself in a burrowed knot of womb wisdom-thicked pock-pit keloid scarred I deliver her unto this world a thousand times a thousand times a thousand two centuries four continents bound I tread trembling body-stump root- toes digging down wielding axe to stone skin the parallax found I awaken alive-alone and this— is how I thrive
About the author:
Natasha N. Deonarain is the author of two chapbooks, 50 études for piano (Assure Press Publishing) and urban disorders (Finishing Line Press). She’s a multi-category first prize winner in the Arizona State Poetry Society’s 2025 Annual Contest, winner of the 2020 Three Sisters Award by NELLE magazine and Best of the Net Nominee by Rogue Agent Journal. She was born in South Africa, grew up in Canada and now lives in Arizona. Find her on IG@RealPajamaPoet.
Part of our Winter 2026 Issue. New stories, poems, and essays now through January 31, 2026.
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