Up yonder, the sky yawns open
wide in a downpour. I suck greedy
on the silken stem of one last God
-white honeysuckle blossom & I
watch the rain close in. The hot air
crackles with pregnant apprehension.
Whether we weather this weeping
Almighty or not, still, nectar sings
from the dark altar of my tongue.
If we flood, Lord, & if we drown,
the last taste on my cracked lips
will be sweet, sweet salvation.
The rain pelts angry on my skin.
It washes me [un]clean as oblivion.
Ariadne Alexis Macquarie (she/they), a writer and environmental conservationist, lives in Asheville, North Carolina. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Hollerdog Magazine and Assistant Editor for the Best of the Net Anthology. She holds an MFA from the University of Kentucky and a BA from Roanoke College. Her poetry, fiction, essays, and photography can be found in the Red Branch Review, Barely South Review, Autocorrect Magazine, and elsewhere. She is on Instagram @flameazaleas but is far more likely to be found fucking off to the woods.