issue 4
// poetry
Calloused
by Maudie Bryant
I used to be tender,
ripe and reckless,
palms up, a mouth
full of yes.
I let the world in—
let it plunder
the soft
fruit of me,
let it leave bruises.
Now my body, sealed
in husk,
knuckles hard
with knowing.
Touch me, and feel
sinew and scar,
a girl who learned
to flinch too well.
about the author // Maudie Bryant
| Maudie Bryant (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist and Pushcart-nominated poet based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Her writing explores the thresholds between grief, healing, and the metaphysical, often tugging at the unspoken edges of the human condition. She holds an M.A. in English from the University of Louisiana Monroe, and her work has appeared in Progenitor, Welter, 3Elements Review, and other journals. Maudie is also the founding editor of Audi Locus, an online poetry journal. She balances her creative life with full-time work and motherhood, creating from the margins and making meaning from what lingers there. |
Instagram: @maudiemichelle
wildscape. literary journal 