This autobiographical fragment from my first year of grad school in the early 1990s may be triggering for some readers. It frankly addresses suicidal ideation. I stand in front of the open window of my one bedroom apartment in my building which is simply named “Graduate Tower B.” The building is as generic, as bland, … Continue reading Here I Stand – Christine E. Ray
There are days And nights Where the only thing Keeping me from Sliding completely into the abyss From becoming a shapeless Nameless blob of ectoplasm Is your skin against my skin Your mouth against my mouth Grounding me Calling me home Even when the knowledge Has started to slip away from me Your body remembers … Continue reading Clay
words and phrases lay abandoned on every flat surface and on the floor below me so much glittering confetti that crunches under my bare feet the party over guests long gone home leaving me alone adrift among empty wine glasses plates of half-eaten promise I feel simultaneously sick from fare far too rich with false … Continue reading Empty – Christine E. Ray
Inspired by Phases by Kevin Kantor & Sienna Burnett the suicide note she did not leave left a faint imprint on the wooden table where they would sit and talk over cups of milky coffee the suicide note she did not leave rang like silence in his ears the suicide note she did not leave burned … Continue reading Unwritten – Christine E. Ray
I long to be buoyant an updraft to lift your wings allow you to glide thermals gracefully your eyes closed in exhilaration as crisp air fills your lungs but today I am a black balloon thrust upon you unexpectedly tied to your wrist with dirty frayed string that chafes at your skin a cold iron … Continue reading Baby’s Black Balloon – Christine E. Ray
musical notes float through the air almost visible to sleep deprived eyes razor edged lyrics chosen for their bite sharp enough to penetrate ancient scar tissue that crisscrosses internal contours for every baby step forward there are two slides backwards to the place where psyche becomes blank canvas and I paint the nightmare landscapes of … Continue reading My Hit Parade – Christine E. Ray
Brave & Reckless 