ㅤㅤㅤYou are plum blossoms,
fruit to come. You are cream-
ㅤㅤㅤfilled, dream-spent. We are egg
and egg, ovum and ovum, open-
ㅤㅤㅤmouthed. Open-mouthed. You
are calendula and rose
ㅤㅤㅤwatering my tongue. You
are brow in pain, bitten-
ㅤㅤㅤflesh at the pit. You are fingers
circling the wet. You are prayer
ㅤㅤㅤand phallus. You are
the story that wells petal
ㅤㅤㅤby petal. In storm you
seed the back of me. You are
ㅤㅤㅤthe warm rush of your release.
You are mercy. Mercy
ㅤㅤㅤthat two women come
and no child comes of it.
A recipient of The Sewanee Review poetry prize, Kara Olson’s work has appeared, or will soon appear, in The Massachusetts Review, North Dakota Quarterly, Grist and other publications. Her debut manuscript, THE ORDER OF BLOOMING, was a finalist for the 2025 National Poetry Series. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.