SIXTEEN KINDS OF EMPTINESS
by Patricia O’Donnell
- The ground after leaves are raked, waiting for snow
- The line a bird leaves as it breaks through the air
- The space above where a bulb is planted
- A cancer cell, splitting into fullness
- The space between heartbeats
- The center of a wedding ring
- A stomach, after retching
- The seconds between sighs
- The repetition of the tide
- A pocket with one coin
- Silence after laughter
- Dawn on a city street
- Forgetfulness
- White space
- Sleep
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Patricia O’Donnell is a professor of creative writing in the BFA Program at the University of Maine at Farmington. Her publications are primarily in fiction. Her fourth book, the novel The Vigilance of Stars, is available from Unsolicited Press.