special issue 1
// p o e t r y
Modern Eve
by Lorrie Ness
Wasn’t the snake’s idea—
grabbing a Jonathan by the stem
& stripping him with my peeler.
He just flicked his forked tongue & coiled
as I cleaved a Pink Lady—left her
two lobes wobbling on rocker bottoms.
I got no use for commercial swill, bottled
with yellow #5. Don’t even
get me started on McIntosh coated in wax.
Chop & snap is where it’s at.
It’s the fresh flesh that gets me juicy—
fruit that flows aquifer clear.
Until the serpent strikes
& crimson capillaries the cutting board.
I press my thumb
to a thin sliver of Jonathan,
mingling our wounds. The apple is stained
glass, held to the window’s light.
I taste it—Eden’s forbidden fruit. A wet communion
of sugar & salt
dribbling
down my chin.
about the author // Lorrie Ness
| Lorrie Ness (she/her) writes from a rural corner of Virginia. Her work has appeared in Palette Poetry, TRHUSH, The Inflectionist Review, Trampset, Sky Island Journal and many others. She has published two collections at Flowstone Press: Heritage & Other Pseudonyms and Anatomy of a Wound. Her work has been nominated for Puschart and Best of the Net Awards. More about her writing can be found at http://www.lorrieness.com |
Website: www.lorrieness.com
@lness.bsky.social
wildscape. literary journal 