"Before-After" by Therese Tully

Before-After

I know that you could use the same tree
for a coffin or a cradle – but would
the harrowed wood recall for which sleeper

it was responsible? Would both toss endlessly seeking
a fruitless peace?
Or would each lone sleeper find some filling rest?

My unborn, restless, dances within me
as we say goodbye to the shiniest wood box
where you now lie. I do not know which tree

they felled, I do not know where you go
now that we’ve said goodbye,
but I hope my unborn knows more

than I of life outside of time,
and still it chooses dancing.

Therese Tully

Therese Tully’s poetry has been featured in Clarion, The Laughing Medusa, and Sonder Midwest. Her short fiction was a finalist in Paper Darts’ Flash Fiction Competition in 2016. Tully explores themes of gender, mental disorder, and familial relationships in a body of work that focuses largely on introspection and everyday life. She received her BA in English from Boston College and currently lives in Madison, New Jersey.

Headshot: Christopher Jacob

Photo Credit: Staff