So much to sit with here.

The Change Cups Speak
Emily Griffin

Anybody got a light in their eyes? / Anybody on this train experienced true wonder? / Any of you able to smile a sunny hello, not the sad story of suntan leaving skin? / Does anyone really think this is fair? / Do you ever thank the wounded world for holding us? / Would you take one of my fears from me if you could? / Would you learn to replace bullets with the fog of water glasses untouched? / Who can become the radical magician that we need? / Will you vent your spleen with me? / Can we spill our indignation onto all the billionaires? / Will you show me a picture of your child looking at the world spark eyed, little amphibian smile beaming? / Can you tell me the story of that child’s first steps like planting a tree, not a flag? / Can anyone put the animal grace back into the folds of their work clothes? / These creatures all depend on you being exhausted at the end of the day, you know? / Can you stomach that the little girl in the photograph will know one day, too? / How long do we have to chant our humanity to deaf ears? / How long until we all believe that there is no shame in going hungry, only in complacency about millions starving? / Do any of you have something to set free? / Does anyone remember a time before we were so greedy / and stupid / and mean? / Can anyone remember that we were once more scared of the ocean than of each other?

—
Emily Griffin is a librarian, poet, and food enthusiast from Brooklyn, NY, who aims to capture life’s most visceral experiences using interesting, accessible language. She uses techniques from both surrealist and confessional poetry traditions and also enjoys using the figure of the monstrous woman to subvert the reader’s faith in the social construct as it stands. Her work appears in High Shelf Press and in The Aurora Anthology published by Allegory Ridge. She earned her BFA from Emerson College and her MLS from St. John’s University.

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They Used to Say by Mary Ellen Shaughan
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