Allison Kissell

*Ballad*

Taking from lines

their submerged ostinato

controlled vibrations

hum, humming into webbed corners

a thread balled,

then, unraveled:

Below the bath,

wanting bone on my skin,

cagey petticoats,

the crinoline length of

skin-fabric evading sound

Rushes, carrying steel,

Salutes.

Allison Kissell grew up in Bolivia and Minnesota and now lives in Chicago. She is an aspiring college graduate.