Shadows Play

Human body as origami
a swan
bones jointless and feathered
then a single rose
at half-bloom

The sky is ganglial
filled with memory
that cloud is wolf-like

The finger-pointing
is loud

I will fold
my hand and fingers
just so
to make origami
out of this light

I will remember
a finch
on my wrist
seed in my other hand

In the future I will warn
Little Red Riding Hood
show her
the nuances
of faces

TERI McCORD

Terri McCord’s work has been nominated for Pushcart Prizes and Best of the Net. She loves interweaving visual and verbal literacies in the context of nature and relationships. Work is forthcoming in Talking River Review, The MacGuffin, and a new book, Light Enough, in 2027. She is a visual artist as well.