I gave up banging on the bars
of my prison
and used my precious spoons
to tunnel through the wall
under the moat
through the forest
and out into freedom.
Adrenaline-fueled,
laser-focused,
hell-bent on escape—
I emerge
dirt-covered and
sticky with sweat,
throw my arms wide
and let out a triumphant cry.
Victory is short, for escape is impossible
and struggle only hastens death—
I drop, lifeless,
to the ground.
Buzzard food.
Kristin Houlihan (she/her) is an editor-turned-writer using mostly poetry to make sense of life, both its obstacles and its joys. Kristin is based in California, where she strives to live life to the fullest while bedridden with Long Covid Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Kristin is poetry editor and cofounder of Epistemic Literary, and has work published in Cosmic Daffodil, Full Mood, and a previous voidspace pop up, among others. Her debut chapbook, Lift the Mask, is available wherever books are sold. Twitter: @theedifyingword